Neurodivergent footy fan Zoe Spanghero says Optus Stadium’s new sensory room is a great step toward sports becoming more inclusive.

Optus Stadium in consultation with The Autism Association of Western Australia and The Purple Hands Foundation has opened its first permanent sensory room to provide people with autism and related conditions a space where they can take a break from an overstimulating environment.

ADHD adult Ms Spanghero says she hopes sporting venues stay on a trajectory of inclusivity.

“I hope they keep making those improvements just to make sure that everyone has an option to be able to experience events the same as any other person who is not neurodivergent or hasn’t got a disability,” she says.

“I think it’s really showcasing how forward Optus Stadium is.

“It makes it unique and shows how ahead of the game they are, especially in contrast with other stadiums, who maybe haven’t made that same progress.”

The Curtin University Health Science student was diagnosed with ADHD a month ago after her school councillor flagged some symptoms.

“I was seeing a councillor and she said to me, ‘I think you’re definitely showing signs of it’, so we did an assessment and spoke about it,” she says.

“And then I guess learning and figuring out my own understanding of it, I realised I had a lot of flags screaming it, that I kind of didn’t even associate with ADHD.”

Ms Spanghero, 25, says she has struggled with overstimulation at sporting events before but didn’t have a space to escape for support.

“On reflection being in big crowds, there can be a tipping point where I push through, but definitely can sometimes be quite overwhelming,” she says.

“Even for me, I maybe have more mild symptoms and I can only imagine what it’s like for someone who is really triggered by stimulus and noise.”

Along with ADHD, Ms Spanghero has suffered sport-related concussions that have affected her sensitivity to sound.

“Last year, I suffered two head concussions that affected me quite badly and made me extra sensitive to noise and gave me auditory issues,” she says.

“I’m still involved with WAFL, and I’m still a full-time runner but, unfortunately,  it took me a lot to recover and I didn’t want to put myself at risk again and I wanted to have the chance to focus on my studies because it did affect my studies.

“It was very hard to go out and go to the footy and I still wear earplugs, so knowing that there’s a room if I was still wanting to be a part of the game or attend a game and I ever had to pull myself away, there’s somewhere I could go, I think it’s really good.”

The Purple Hands Foundation general manager Donna Rendell says her foundation piloted the creation of the room by trialling sensory spaces.

“We worked really closely with The Autism Association of WA across the 2022 and 2023 seasons to really work out what’s best practice in this space,” she says.

“The Fremantle Dockers and The Purple Hands Foundation have been trialling non-permanent rooms over the last couple of years based on feedback from our members and so the fact they’ve been able to take this initiative and make it permanent is fantastic for everyone.”

Ms Rendell says the room is set up with low lighting and three individual booths where people can privately seek a quiet space.

“If someone really needs quiet and dark time, they can go in and they can adjust the lighting,” she says.

“There’s also lots of interactive toys in there to help, like fidget tools, fidget toys, and those sorts of things to help people centre themselves.”

She says the space was converted from a parent’s room which places it in a well selected area.

“It’s very, very close. You go down a short corridor and toilets are within close distance as well,” she says.

“There’s no requirement to provide any evidence. It’s basically just if you need the room, it’s available there.”

Curtin School of Allied Health senior lecturer Craig Thompson says the move shows a great recognition of neurodiverse people and will encourage their participation in sports.

“People with ADHD and autism often find busy and loud environments overwhelming so this is one way to easily make environments more comfortable for them,” he says.

“Evidence suggests adults and young people with neurodiversity participate in less physical activity than their neurotypical peers, which has some major impacts on their physical and psychological health.

“Neurodivergent individuals need to be involved and participate in physical activity and to promote this people need to see that there is a place for them.”

Mr Thompson says he hopes more organisations will be inspired to make similar adjustments to be more inclusive.

“Sporting organisations or other businesses will see the potential benefit of it,” he says.

“These are adjustments they can easily accommodate by dimming the lights ever so slightly, or turning the volume down on music and they’ll find that most people won’t even notice it, but the people who find these things difficult to manage and difficult to deal with will benefit from it immensely.”