Exeter City champions accessibility with new stoma-friendly facilities
04 October, 2025
Exeter City champions accessibility with new stoma-friendly facilities
Exeter City Football Club has upgraded all of its accessible toilet facilities, to ensure they are stoma friendly – a sign of its ongoing commitment to inclusivity and accessibility.
The club has worked with us to upgrade its accessible toilets, providing suitable facilities for people to change their stoma bags hygienically and in privacy.
An estimated one in 335 people in the UK live with a stoma and finding suitable facilities can often be a barrier to attending events. The new facilities break down those barriers and mean that having a stoma does not prevent supporters attending matches at St James Park.
As part of the upgrades, all of the seven accessible toilets at St James Park have now been equipped with disposal bins to enable people to dispose of their stoma bags in a hygenic way; a shelf which provides a clean surface for medical supplies; a mirror so people can see their stoma when changing the bag and coat hooks to hang clothes. The club’s Changing Places facility in the Stansfield Stand, which has also been upgraded to be stoma friendly.
Jack Fitzwater, Exeter City defender, who was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2024, welcomed the introduction of the new facilities at St James Park.
He said: “It’s great that the club are on board and it’s something to be proud of. For supporters with a stoma it gives them peace of mind knowing that there is something in place for them.”
And Jack, who is now on medication for his condition, urged anyone with symptoms of colitis or irritable bowel syndrome to contact their GP. He added: “I think just it’s one of those things where in my own experience the worst thing I did was wait and delay. It might be that you might actually have small symptoms that might be nothing, but it’s best to just go and get checked out and if you do have the start of IBD, it is best to get the medication that you need and it will speed up the process to hopefully get you on the right track.”
Colostomy UK’s Giovanni Cinque, said: “We’re delighted that St James Park has joined our Stoma Friendly Toilets initiative. For many people, something as simple as going to a football match can be daunting if the right facilities aren’t available. Exeter City’s commitment shows the club truly values all supporters. With an estimated 3,000 people living with a stoma in Devon, we hope many of them will be encouraged to attend a game.”
This year Stoma Aware day falls on Saturday October 4.
