The Sport Consumer Experience of People with Disabilities: Challenges and Pathways to Inclusivity

Call for Papers
The Sport Consumer Experience of People with Disabilities: Challenges and Pathways to Inclusivity
Journal: Managing Sport and Leisure
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026

Overview
This special issue examines the sport consumer experiences of people with disabilities and treats sport consumption as shaped by cultural, social, economic, legal, and institutional forces. It focuses on how disabled fans navigate barriers, create meaning through fandom, and encounter inclusion or exclusion in sports settings. The issue is grounded in human rights principles, especially the right to participate in recreational, leisure, and sporting activities on an equal basis.

Detailed Scope
The call welcomes interdisciplinary work on accessibility to sporting events, the matchday experience, economic barriers, intersectional experiences, belonging and visibility, discrimination and abuse, human rights law, and the role of technology in improving or complicating access. It is interested in studies of physical, financial, social, and behavioral barriers, including ticketing, transport, seating, stewarding, facilities, and abusive conduct. The special issue also invites work on local, national, regional, and international policy and practice.

Submission Information
Abstracts were due by 8 December 2025, and full papers are due by 30 June 2026. Submissions should be sent by email to the guest editors, with a title, author details, and an abstract of no more than 250 words. Full papers should be no more than 8,000 words, including abstract, tables, figures, and references. The expected publication date is February 2027.

Guest Editors

• Marianna Pavan — Manchester Metropolitan University.

• Paul Widdop — Manchester Metropolitan University.

• Seamus Byrne — Manchester Metropolitan University.

• ServiceSetu Academics — Premier Platform for Academic Opportunities & Research Collaboration

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