For millions of visually impaired fans, football has always been something you hear, but never fully experience.

With "The Blind Seats," VML and stc reimagined the matchday experience altogether. Developed with the Saudi Ministry of Sport, the system translates live match data into a real-time sensory experience, allowing fans to follow every pass, shot and goal from the stands.

Rolled out across stadiums in Saudi Arabia, the experience turns matchday into something that can finally be felt, not just heard, for visually impaired fans. 

Stc The Blind Seats Case Study
We believe football belongs to everyone. Seeing fans experience every moment, not just as spectators but as part of the action, was deeply moving. This is what true inclusion looks like: bringing people together and making sure everyone can feel the joy of the game.

Firas Ghannam

Executive Creative Director, VML Riyadh

For millions of visually impaired fans, football remains an incomplete experience. They can hear the roar of the crowd, but cannot fully follow the action on the pitch. For stc, Saudi Arabia’s leading tech company, this highlighted an opportunity to make live football more accessible and inclusive, by rethinking how the game can be experienced inside the stadium.

Football is more than a game, it’s a shared emotional experience. Yet for visually impaired fans, that connection is often limited to sound alone.

stc introduced "The Blind Seats", inclusive stadium seats designed for visually impaired fans. Rather than treating accessibility as a minor adjustment, stc reimagined the matchday experience altogether, creating a new way to follow live football from inside the stadium.

Developed in partnership with the Ministry of Sport, The Blind Seats rolled out across stadiums in Saudi Arabia, bringing a new sensory dimension to matchday. Visually impaired fans experienced the game from the stands in a new way, with their reactions widely shared online.

One seat at a time, stc opened up live football to more fans, bringing them closer to the game.

This is part of our focus on digital inclusion in sports to welcome all fans to the stadium.

Abdulaziz Nasser Almubarak

Social Investment Director, stc

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Awards

2025 Athar Awards

2025 Athar Awards

Best Innovative Campaign


Gold

2025 Athar Awards

2025 Athar Awards

Best Not for Profit Campaign


Gold

2025 Athar Awards

2025 Athar Awards

Best Transformation Campaign


Gold

Athar Awards

Athar Awards

Best Partnership Campaign


Bronze