The owner of Lord’s Cricket Ground, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced a new partnership with Waymap, the world’s most precise personal navigation app, setting a new standard in accessibility for sports fans.
Lord’s will be the world’s first stadium to use Waymap technology, which will improve the matchday experience for blind and impaired guests as well as all spectators visiting the Home of Cricket.
This unique cooperation represents a big step forward in accessible sports arena design. Waymap’s extremely precise navigation system provides step-by-step audio and on-screen directions to assist guests navigate their way to seats, facilities, and exits without using GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, or mobile data. The software allows for comprehensive travel routing from anywhere on the M25 and is tailored for persons with impairments, while also improving convenience for all users, including workers and overseas tourists.
Waymap will also help the club achieve its sustainability goals by allowing supporters to plan and finish their journeys to the ground using sustainable means of transportation. By offering dependable, step-by-step navigation from your house to the house of Cricket, the app will help choose low-carbon travel choices, lowering the total environmental effect of matchday transportation.
Robert Ebdon, MCC Director of estates, said, “At MCC, we are committed to making Lord’s as welcoming and inclusive as possible. Our partnership with Waymap allows us to lead the way in accessible innovation, ensuring that every visitor — regardless of ability — can experience the magic of Lord’s with greater ease and independence.”
Tom Pey, Waymap’s Founder and President, said, “Waymap at Lord’s is the first deployment of this kind of highly accurate personal navigation technology in a sports stadium anywhere in the world. It’s wonderful to see MCC setting such a great example of how to make accessibility happen. It will make things much easier for blind and disabled people visiting Lord’s. It will also help everyone coming to the ground – whether it’s to easily find their way to their seats, to the bars and other facilities, or to the most convenient exit after a match.”
Waymap’s SmartStep technology was originally developed for those with visual impairments, but it has since transformed mobility experiences in complicated city areas all over the world. With no reliance on cell signals or physical infrastructure, the software offers unparalleled dependability to all users.
Lord’s supporters can now experience a smooth journey from their homes to the stadium, thanks to bespoke accessibility features such as step-free routing, direction to accessible restrooms, and food and drink options in numerous languages. G uests will first access the capabilities through the Waymap app; but, next season, the capability will be integrated into the Lord’s app, making sustainable and accessible trip planning even more straightforward for all guests.
