Newcastle United and Sela unveil new shirt that will allow deaf fans to feel the noise at St James' Park

Last week it was revealed that Newcastle United's front-of-shirt sponsor, Sela were going to go give up their shirt sponsorship to an unnamed charity for the Tottenham Hotspur game.

That charity has now been revealed, but it has actually gone beyond a simple logo change with Sela teaming up with the RNID to offer deaf Newcastle fans a unique opportunity.

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People will see their branding on the front of Newcastle United's shirts on Saturday and around the advertising hoardings all over St James' Park.

As well as that, all of the mascots, who will be deaf children, as well as some fans, will be wearing a new shirt which is designed to allow deaf supporters to 'feel' the atmosphere inside St James' Park.

Mascots and deaf supporters will wear a special shirt on Saturday

It will be the first time that a hearing loss charity has featured on the front of a Premier League club's kit and Sela hope the move will inspire clubs around the world to build on efforts to improve accessibility.

The club announced the move via its website today as well as putting out an emotional video to accompany the news. In the club statement the 'haptic' shirts were announced.

"It marks the launch of special 'haptic' shirts that will make matchday more accessible for those with hearing loss. While players will sport RNID branding on their shirts on the pitch, deaf supporters will wear a unique shirt that transforms the noise of the stadium into a real-time touch sensation - bringing the famous St. James' Park atmosphere to life like never before."

We weren't expecting this when Sela announced they'd be working with a charity

Peter Silverstone, Chief Commercial Officer at Newcastle United told the club's website:

"Newcastle United's partnership with Sela continues to provide spectacular experiences for our fans.

"When Sela shared the idea and technology behind the haptic shirts, we supported the concept immediately. We knew it would have a profound and lasting impact on supporters who are deaf or have hearing loss.

"The atmosphere our supporters generate at St. James' Park is famously powerful and being able to bring that experience to life in such an accessible way, is very special. We look forward to playing our part in this initiative and hope it inspires fans of other clubs, sports and entertainment properties."

When we found out Sela was donating their sponsorship to a charity, we never imagined that they would go that extra step and provide exciting new technology to fans that will allow them to experience the match like never before.

We hope this is the first of many similar initiatives.