Apologies after Bristol Rovers refer to ‘disabled’ fans and ‘normal’ fans.

Bristol Rovers fans have called for the club to apologize after a letter about season tickets referred to disabled fans and “normal” fans. The club’s Disabled Supporters Association said it was “disappointed” to see the text of the letter – which was sent privately to the supporters’ club and shared with fans on social media – while other fans called it “extremely insensible”.

The club’s chief executive responded to a poster on X/Twitter, but in a now-deleted tweet did not apologise, saying only that the email should not have been shared publicly.

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Outrage erupted over the bank holiday weekend after Bristol Rovers Supporters’ Club tweeted that they had received a response from the club regarding their queries about the new season ticket arrangements for next season. The club is introducing e-ticketing for season ticket holders and, like most clubs, offers a physical card to supporters who don’t want to have their ticket on their phone for an additional fee.

The club confirmed that fans who want a physical season card instead of an electronic ticket will have to pay £15 for it, but disabled fans will get a physical card for free. In the letter to the supporters club, which they later shared verbatim, the club explained the rationale behind the move to e-ticketing and the fees for a physical season card and said: “We have offered all disabled fans. … to get free cards for them on demand. As for regular fans and older fans, they can purchase the card for £15, which is the exact cost of the club, and we don’t make any money on it, just cover the costs.”

Referring to able-bodied or non-disabled fans as “normal” caused a stir on social media, with fans explaining that they were shocked to see what they described as clumsy language.

Bristol Rovers Disability Supporters Association said: “DSA and our club have made tremendous progress in 23/24 in areas such as facilities and stewarding. We are disappointed to see (the word) “normal” used in this context.

“An area agreed with the Club for 2024/25 is a review of communications and styles to reflect current best practice,” they added. In a reply to another post, BRDSA added: “We get popular slips – we’re all human. It’s a word that our working group has picked up several times in the historical documents on the website that we’re working together to revise/replace this summer, as well as refresh our knowledge. We can only do better together.”

Another fan, Steve Western, added: “Disappointing, worrying and extremely insensitive response. So as an older fan I’m not a normal fan and what do disabled fans think about not being seen as normal! I would hazard a guess that the lost revenue from non-renewing memberships is over £15 for those wanting a card.”

Disabled fan Jake Barber explained why the word had upset him so much. “I am a disabled man. Just because I don’t use a wheelchair anymore doesn’t mean I’m not,” he tweeted. “Disabled people are normal people. Just because I’m disabled doesn’t make me any less normal than anyone else. Wording is so key sometimes. Do better,” he added.

Jake later added that he felt the club worded their response poorly. “I give the club the benefit of the doubt with things because sometimes it’s not worth the hassle,” he said. “But that got me properly lost. I didn’t ask to be born with what I have. Just the hell of luck. Pretty mad tbf.

“I can get very tired and sometimes find it hard to move. Not that I need help, but I can be very slow. I feel the club has completely mis-worded it horribly.

“I don’t think they meant any harm. I’d like to think they meant no harm, but like I said, just because you’re not in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you don’t need disabled access or something Help. I think the club said that horribly, so do better,” he added in a video message.

Another disabled fan, Amy-Louise Wood, also criticized the club. “It’s absolutely fantastic that my beloved club since early childhood thinks I’m not ‘normal’… because unfortunately I’ve ended up with several rare, severe diseases,” she said. “Hey guys, someone ‘normal’ deserves to be fired.”

In reaction on Twitter, both the Supporters’ Club and the club itself remained silent, but Rovers chief executive Tom Gorringe responded to one post with a tweet which he later deleted. He said: “This was not a statement from the club, it was a response to a private email from an individual, so it should not have been made public in this way.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the Supporters Club retracted its original post sharing the letter. Bristol Live has contacted Bristol Rovers for comment and a response is awaited.