On Saturday, Newcastle United participated in a ground-breaking campaign with sponsors Sela and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).
Sela’s ‘Unsilence the Crowd’ campaign made Newcastle United’s 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park even more memorable.
The Magpies’ emphatic victory came as a result of a relationship with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), which replaced Sela as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor for the match. Sela’s ad, developed in collaboration with the charity, featured innovative haptic clothing that allowed deaf fans to experience the ambiance of the crowd. And they did exactly that, with an Alexander Isak brace and goals from Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar securing Newcastle’s joint-largest home win of the season at St James’ Park.
The haptic shirts translate the stadium noise into a real-time touch experience. After Newcastle took the lead on the half-hour mark with Isak’s goal, defender Dan Burn turned to the television cameras and used BSL to sign: “Love the fans.”
After the game, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe commended Burn and Sela’s pioneering initiative. “A brilliant thing from Dan,” Howe stated. “He went during the week and practiced some sign language. Typical Dan, he didn’t just learn it and forget about it; he utilized it at an opportune time to express gratitude to those he met and to encourage their support.
“A beautiful act by Sela today, donating their jersey sponsor to a fantastic organization. It says a lot about them, too.”
Sela was announced as Newcastle’s new front-of-shirt sponsor last summer in a multi-year deal worth £25 million per season.
