Premier League clubs are "facing the twin threat of losing their stadium safety licence and litigation over their 'outrageous' failure to meet minimum guidelines for disabled fans," according to Jeremy Wilson of the London TELEGRAPH. A survey of Premier League clubs by the Telegraph "showed that just three of the 20 stadiums currently reach recommended spaces for wheelchair users." The Football Task Force, of which the Premier League was a part, said in '98 that these numbers should "apply to all grounds and these guidelines were then also outlined in the 2003 Accessible Stadia guide for new stadiums." ManU, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham are all in the "bottom half of the Premier League table for their relative provision, despite generating hundreds of millions." With campaigners "losing faith in the willingness of the Premier League to force change," even after the announcement of a new £5.14B ($8B) broadcast deal, they are now "preparing to take action both through Parliament and the courts." Richard Faulkner, a Labour peer, has "revealed the private members' bill that he will put forward on the state opening of Parliament next week that would make meeting the Accessible Stadia numbers a mandatory part of all clubs receiving their safety licence and staging matches." Faulkner: "Given the money in football and the size of the new broadcast deal, it is regrettable that the top level professional clubs have still not addressed the reasonable needs of their disabled fans" (TELEGRAPH, 5/19).
