Disabled sports fans have been urged to give their views of their treatment at sports grounds

Ministers are calling on disabled sports fans to take part in the most comprehensive review of their treatment at sports grounds.

In what is hoped will be the largest survey of its kind the Government wants Britain's 12 million disabled people to share their experience of viewing live sport at sports grounds across Britain. 

Organisers want to hear from fans of all sports - in particular rugby, cricket, hockey, basketball, cycling and motor racing.

The survey comes after the Government called on Britain's football leagues to take urgent action to redress the "woeful" lack of support and space for disabled spectators, reminding them of their legal obligations to provide room for disabled fans.

Research showed nearly half of Premier League football clubs do not offer half the wheelchair space they should for disabled people.

Mark Harper, Minister for disabled people, said: "For too long in this country disabled sports fans have been treated like second-class citizens at many sporting venues.

"And yet one in five of us have an impairment, and disabled people and their households have a spending power of over £200bn.

"We know the situation in football is unacceptable and it's not only wheelchair access that falls short, but adjustments for people with all kinds of impairments.

"We encourage all sports fans with a disability to tell us of their experiences at sporting venues, so we can get a clear picture of whether disabled sports fans are being treated fairly."

Bob Greig, who is disabled and has been an Arsenal fan for more than 30 years, said: "I want to know that my needs are met. Am I able to visit a toilet somewhere during the game?

"Am I able to keep myself warm? Am I able to access somewhere to get a cup of tea? Do I have a good view?

"Just like every other fan takes for granted. I can't do anything about what happens between the white lines but as long as I've got a good view, it's a starting point."

Evidence from Level Playing Field, a charity that promotes access for disabled sports fans, has revealed as many as half of Premier League football clubs operate season ticket policies which could be deemed as discriminatory against disabled sports fans.

Evidence has also emerged of clubs operating complex pre-registration systems for disabled supporters to qualify for season tickets which are not applied to fans without disabilities.

Level Playing Field have also discovered many clubs allocate disproportionately small numbers of season tickets to wheelchair users and exclude disabled people from using their online ticketing services.

Mark Gonnella, communications director for Arsenal Football Club, said: "Every Club is different and all I can talk about is what we've done at Arsenal.

"We had the advantage of building a brand new stadium from scratch so we were able to factor in a huge range of needs as we built the stadium.

"So that gave us a huge advantage, but it's really about listening to your disabled supporters as you listen to all your supporters and seeing how you can meet those needs."

Joyce Cook from Level Playing Field said: "The experience of disabled sports fans varies across the country. Our research shows that many clubs are operating what seem to be discriminatory policies when it comes to season and away tickets.

"And if you can actually get there, the inability to sit with your own fans, poor sight lines and the lack of accessible provisions can be so bad that you would have had a better experience watching it on TV.

"That's not acceptable and it's time all clubs and venues took their legal obligations seriously - and recognised the value of the purple pound."