MatchWire is committed to ensuring that our football news wire and match reference service is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of ability or technology. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard as a benchmark for our ongoing design and development efforts.

Our Approach to Accessibility

We believe that access to reliable football news, match data, and statistics should not be a barrier for anyone. As a non-profit service operated by Northgate Sports Publishing Ltd., we prioritise inclusive design from the ground up. Our editorial and technical teams work together to ensure that every page, from live match centres to historical tables, is built with clarity and usability in mind.

Measures We Have Taken

We have implemented a range of features to improve the experience for all users, including those using assistive technologies:

• Semantic HTML structure — We use proper heading hierarchies (h1, h2, etc.), landmark regions, and descriptive labels to aid screen readers and keyboard navigation.
• Keyboard accessibility — All interactive elements, such as links, buttons, and navigation menus, are fully operable via keyboard alone.
• Colour contrast — Text and background colours are chosen to meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratios, ensuring readability for users with low vision or colour blindness.
• Responsive layout — The site is designed to work across a range of devices and screen sizes, from mobile phones to desktop monitors, without loss of content or functionality.
• Alternative text — All meaningful images, including match graphics and player photos, include descriptive alt text.
• Clear navigation — Consistent page structure and breadcrumb trails help users orient themselves and move between sections.

Known Limitations

While we strive for full compliance, some areas of MatchWire may present challenges:

• Third-party data feeds — Live scores and statistics are sourced from external providers. Where these are embedded, we cannot guarantee their accessibility. We are working with partners to improve this over time.
• Archived content — Older match reports or historical data pages may not yet meet current standards. We are progressively retrofitting these as part of our content review cycle.
• Complex data tables — Some statistical tables (e.g., league standings with multiple columns) may be difficult to parse with screen readers. We are exploring simplified table structures and summary descriptions.

We are committed to addressing these limitations as resources allow. If you encounter a specific barrier, please let us know.

Reporting Accessibility Issues

If you experience any difficulty accessing content on MatchWire, or if you have suggestions for improvement, we want to hear from you. Please contact our editorial team at contact@matchwire.org. We aim to acknowledge your message within two working days and will work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Ongoing Commitment

Accessibility is not a one-time fix but an ongoing practice. We regularly review our site against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria, and we incorporate user feedback into our development roadmap. Our editorial team, led by Editor-in-Chief Declan Moriarty, oversees this commitment as part of our broader editorial and ethical standards.

For more information about our editorial policies, please see our Editorial Standards and Corrections pages.