St. Louis CITY SC: Setting a new bar for fan inclusion | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

EDITOR'S NOTE: In celebration of Major League Soccer's 30th season, MLSsoccer.com is exploring untold stories about all 30 clubs. "30 Clubs, 30 Stories" will be unveiled throughout 2025.

St. Louis CITY SC fans are watching the match with their fingers.

Ten seeing-impaired supporters are holding what looks like miniature air hockey tables. The rectangular, CITY-branded boxes have the layout of a soccer pitch on top. A circular black magnet moving across that pitch mimics the position of the ball as St. Louis beat Seattle, 1-0. When Eduard Löwen sends a 15th-minute free kick past Stefan Frei, the magnet finds the net, too.

A finger or two on that magnet letting fans know where the ball is, a vibration from the box that can indicate everything from a goal to a foul, and descriptive audio designed specifically for seeing-impaired fans are all working together to paint a complete picture of what’s happening on the field at Energizer Park. It’s called Touch2See, and St. Louis are the first club in MLS to implement it for their seeing-impaired fans.

Tech-savvy approach

St. Louis CITY SC utilize audio descriptions from a locally-based organization called MindsEye since 2023. But pairing that audio with Touch2See adds another element to the matchday experience.

“One of the things that I hadn't really thought about as much, and that we heard from almost every fan is knowing how big the pitch is,” said Ken Earley, St. Louis’ director of community relations. “Are you at the top of the box? Are you in the box? Are you just outside of it? Are you mid-pitch? So I think that was one of the things that everyone was really excited about, is, I don't have to wonder where this tackle took place, right?

"I know exactly where, because I followed the ball, and then the ball shot out of bounds and then the Touch2See tablet vibrates.”

The club ran their first pilot session with Touch2See on that March 15 match against Seattle and there are plans to continue utilizing the technology going forward. It’s just another addition to their overall efforts to make their home stadium a place of belonging for fans with disabilities.

For fans who are deaf or hearing-impaired, the club has ASL interpreters on their in-stadium video boards signing the PA audio in the corner of the screen, and closed captioning on another board inside the stadium. Any fan in need can utilize an on-site sensory room and calming kits.

“The accessibility features here are much needed,” St. Louis fan Nancy Carver said. “Between myself being diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, depression, a survivor of assault, we never know when the attacks or the panics are going to set in being in an enclosed environment with people all around and especially strangers. Not knowing a lot of people, that, in itself, sets up a lot of anxiety.

"So being able to have a place to go to decompress for that is awesome, but still be able to watch the games like in the sensory room. There's different methods, different things in there you can use, but the game is still on the TV.”

Club-fan collaboration

Additions to the gameday experience like the sensory room came, in part, thanks to discussions between supporters and the club’s front office. Now, fans like St. Louligans member Sarah Robertson are able to feel more secure heading into a chaotic environment.

“I think we really pushed for a space where those with PTSD can relax and sort of break out of any sort of issues we're currently having,” Robertson said. “You know, I never really know when something is going to happen. When something may trigger. And so having a space for those with similar issues was super important to me and to others.”

It’s not just about offering a space. St. Louis are also intent on making sure those in need are able to feel supported by the in-stadium staff around them. The club is the first professional team in the country to utilize the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program. Fans can choose to signal to employees and others in the know that they have a disability by wearing a green lanyard or pin featuring sunflowers.

“It's a voice when we can't speak on our own,” Carver said. “I have one. My daughter has one. It's been helpful for her. We had an incident the first one last year where we needed to get her to a safe place, and being able to have the sunflower let people know that we were in a hurry and that we needed to get to somewhere safe, and somewhere quiet. We were able to get help from staff because they saw the lanyard and they knew what we needed at that point in time.

“A lot of people don't realize that when you're in the midst of a panic attack or a mental breakdown, you don't have a voice like you can't speak. You're literally frozen in time where you're at, so it's important for the staff to know what this means and be able to react like, 'Okay, I don't want to be touched. Talking to me is not going to help. Please, just get me somewhere safe. Get my child somewhere safe.' Whatever the situation may be, safe is key, and once they realize you're safe, then you can start to decompress yourself.”

Everyone is welcome

A place to be safe isn’t always the norm at sporting events. St. Louis CITY SC have worked to make those spaces accessible to whoever needs them, though. And they’re pushing to find new ways to ensure whoever wants to be in the stadium can be in the stadium.

“The game of soccer is the world's game,” Robertson said. “And in order for it to truly be that you have to embrace all sorts of people, all sorts of community, all sorts of people make up our community. And so you have to be able to accept all of them and welcome all of them. And sometimes, some of us need a little bit more help than others.”