Safer Stadiums Animation – Northumbria

A 3-minute animation created for the Safer Stadiums initiative, a research collaboration between Northumbria University, Loughborough University and the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), led by Dr Aarti Ratna of Northumbria University and scripted by Hannah Kumari.

Safer Stadiums offers women an outlet to speak out about their experiences of gender-based violence and harassment in and around UK football matches, in the stands, in the concourses, and on the often-dreaded journey to and from public transport. The research aims to create safer spaces inside and outside the stadium, so that women fans can feel a genuine sense of belonging and bring their vital support to the match.

Creating animation for academic research like this means holding the weight of women’s real testimonies, and the need for a film that audiences (clubs, fans, policymakers) will actually watch and act on. Working closely with Dr Ratna and Hannah Kumari, I developed visuals that honour those experiences without sensationalising them, distilling the findings into three minutes designed for research dissemination, public engagement and impact. If you’re a researcher looking to bring your findings to wider audiences through animation, I’d love to hear from you — get in touch here.