10 signatures reached
To: Greg Dyke, Chairman of the FA
Get rid of pink balls in the FA cup - they discriminate against colourblind viewers and players
We would urge you to change your thinking on the use of pink footballs in FA cup matches. Against the green background of the grass, they are almost invisible for almost three million colourblind people in the UK, not to mention the many millions who follow the FA cup on TV from abroad.
Furthermore, this is affecting the ability of colourblind players from doing their job, which contravenes the Equalities Act 2010.
Furthermore, this is affecting the ability of colourblind players from doing their job, which contravenes the Equalities Act 2010.
Why is this important?
Colourblindness is a disability that affects one in eight men (and about 1% of women). Football bulletin boards on the Internet have recently been awash with comments by people unable to follow the FA cup because the ball disappears from view when played on green grass, especially in distance shots. This is particularly bad for those suffering from Deuteranopia (in which the green retinal photoreceptors are absent).
The FA makes millions from its fans (a recent £425m from TV alone). The FA is committed to inclusion and to equal opportunities, so the decision to use a ball which causes problems for so many of its customers seems at odds.
It is not just the viewing public who suffer from colour blindness. You may recall (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/07/chris-rogers-pink-ball-colour-blind) that Australian cricketer Chris Rogers recently had to withdraw from a match that was to trial a pink cricket ball. (Also see http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/living-with-colour-vision-deficiency/sport/ for examples of how a colourblind individual would visualise pink on green).
Obviously, it's not just about the spectators. Players can be colourblind as well, though most try to keep quiet about it until after their professional career, for obvious reasons (distinguishing between red and green shirts can be a challenge also!). Which is why only recently we discovered, for example, that Ipswich, Charlton and Republic of Ireland legend Matt Holland was colourblind. In Brazil, for instance, goalkeeper Castilho was colourblind, as were two players of the 2000 Brasilian Olympic football team. Pelé also famously had visual impairments rumoured to be colourblindness that almost kept him out of La Seleção.
We should reserve pink, orange or "mango" balls for when the playing surface is snowy. Otherwise, there is no logical reason for using them, other than to promote sales of them which will, in turn, make grassroots football even harder for those with visual impairments such as colourblindness. Enough is enough!
The FA makes millions from its fans (a recent £425m from TV alone). The FA is committed to inclusion and to equal opportunities, so the decision to use a ball which causes problems for so many of its customers seems at odds.
It is not just the viewing public who suffer from colour blindness. You may recall (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/07/chris-rogers-pink-ball-colour-blind) that Australian cricketer Chris Rogers recently had to withdraw from a match that was to trial a pink cricket ball. (Also see http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/living-with-colour-vision-deficiency/sport/ for examples of how a colourblind individual would visualise pink on green).
Obviously, it's not just about the spectators. Players can be colourblind as well, though most try to keep quiet about it until after their professional career, for obvious reasons (distinguishing between red and green shirts can be a challenge also!). Which is why only recently we discovered, for example, that Ipswich, Charlton and Republic of Ireland legend Matt Holland was colourblind. In Brazil, for instance, goalkeeper Castilho was colourblind, as were two players of the 2000 Brasilian Olympic football team. Pelé also famously had visual impairments rumoured to be colourblindness that almost kept him out of La Seleção.
We should reserve pink, orange or "mango" balls for when the playing surface is snowy. Otherwise, there is no logical reason for using them, other than to promote sales of them which will, in turn, make grassroots football even harder for those with visual impairments such as colourblindness. Enough is enough!
