LEADING LIGHT IN INCLUSIVITY

DOVER ATHLETIC are creating a special Sensory Room designed for supporters who need a quiet safe, space at Crabble – and lifelong fan Patrick Verrill believes it will open Non-League to even more people young and old.

- Matt Badcock

Verrill took the idea to the club after seeing the need for a dedicated room when attending games with his young son Indiana, who is autistic.

The Whites’ community engagement and inclusion officer Vikki Pawley loved the idea and the National League South club have made it happen.

The room will include blankets, books, cushions, art supplies, lava lamps, a fish light, fidget toys, a sand tray, wall art and even a race track to allow fans to reset.

And Verrill, who is the chairperson of the Dover, Deal and Shepway branch of the National Autistic Society says the space will make a huge difference.

“I have a seven-year-old son who is highly autistic and sensitive to a lot of things – one of them being noise,” Verrill told