Ryan and David are life-long supporters of Newcastle United. For as long as they can remember, they’ve attended matches at St. James’ Park. Yet in all their years watching live football, they’ve never felt the roar of the stadium, nor heard the famous chanting of the terraces.

The best friends are among 12 million people in the UK who are deaf, have a form of hearing loss, or suffer from tinnitus. They’re also among many people hard of hearing who also love football: It’s been cited as the most popular sport among deaf people, with 93 percent agreeing that the thrill of watching a sporting event live in a stadium can’t be beaten.

But now, groundbreaking technology is enabling fans like Ryan and David to feel the matchday atmosphere like never before. Newcastle United’s front-of-shirt sponsor, global experiential agency Sela, has trialled an innovative haptic Sela Sound shirt, developed by CuteCircuit, featuring wearable tech for hard of hearing match-goers. This special “sound shirt” converts crowd noise into a tactile, sensory experience.

For the first time, deaf fans have been able to feel the live atmosphere of a Premier League crowd. “St. James’ Park is renowned for its noise and passion. Through this initiative we hope to enable deaf fans and fans with hearing loss to feel a part of this” says Ibrahim Mohtaseb, senior vice president of Sela. “Ensuring every fan is able to experience the amazing atmosphere is so important to us as a sponsor of Newcastle United.”

While haptic technology itself is not new, it’s still in its relative infancy—and its introduction by Sela to improve the live sporting experience for deaf fans is a world-first. In-built microphoness capture acoustic waves around the stadium; special software digitizes the analogue sound, converting crowd noise into data wirelessly transmitted to the shirt via an antenna. The shirt’s electronic “brain” then receives the touch data, operating tiny modules embedded in the garment, causing motors to vibrate in resonance with the crowd’s cheering.

The special jersey made its Premier League debut on April 13, when Newcastle took on Tottenham Hotspur at St. James’ Park. Deaf and hard of hearing supporters—including Ryan and David—and matchday mascots wore the shirts pitch-side. Sela also donated its shirt sponsorship and pitch-side advertising rights to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)—the first time a hearing loss charity has been promoted on the front of a Premier League shirt.

The use of haptic shirts and introduction of real-time touch sensation is a significant development for accessibility in sport. March 2024 research by RNID underscores the importance of technological advancements in enhancing the matchday experience for deaf fans: 71 percent of those surveyed believe in the potential of new technology to improve accessibility.

“One in five adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss, but people often face barriers in everyday life—including at live sports events,” says Teri Devine, associate director for inclusion at RNID. “It’s fantastic to see Sela and Newcastle United leading the way in championing this technology, which has the potential to have a real and lasting impact on how people who are deaf and have hearing loss experience live sports.”

Sela plans to install the technology at all future Newcastle home games. Beyond connecting more fans to the live matchday experience, the goal is that more Premier League and European clubs will be inspired to improve accessibility for supporters. “We would welcome the whole football family to join us by adopting the technology. By acting now, we can collectively make watching live football matches an incredible experience for everyone who loves the game,” says Mohtaseb.

For die-hard Newcastle fans Ryan and David, they can now experience their passion for the beautiful game in a new way—and feel the stadium erupt. “This inspiring campaign is highly innovative and the first of its kind. ‘Unsilence the Crowd’ fills everybody associated with this initiative with deep pride, from all of Newcastle United, Newcastle United Foundation, Sela and RNID,” says Peter Silverstone, chief commercial officer at Newcastle United. “We believe that ‘Unsilence the Crowd’ will be truly game-changing for football, and expect this campaign will revolutionize the football experience for any fan who is deaf or has hearing loss, regardless of which team they support.”

See the full campaign, including film, at SELA.SA/NUFC