FILE PHOTO: Rugby - England - Premiership - Play-off Semi Final - Sale Sharks vs Leicester Tigers - AJ Bell Stadium, Eccles, Britain - May 14, 2023 Sale Sharks' Tom Roebuck celebrates scoring their first try Action Images/Ed Sykes/File Photo
(Reuters) - Saracens and Sale Sharks will wear their away kits in the Premiership final this month to avoid a kit clash that would have posed a problem for colour blind fans, Premiership Rugby said on Wednesday.
Saracens traditionally would have worn their black home kit as top seeds while Sale play in red-maroon, but the colour contrast was highlighted by Colour Blind Awareness as fans with a vision deficiency would not be able to tell them apart.
Therefore, Saracens will now play in their white away kit while Sale play in maroon after the Premiership were told that one in 12 men and one in 200 women are colour blind.
"We are delighted that Premiership Rugby and the clubs have taken positive steps to avoid kit clash situations for colour blind fans and players," Kathryn Albany-Ward, CEO of Colour Blind Awareness said.
"It is important that the accessibility needs of these groups are recognised to enable all fans of the sport to have a positive viewing experience that isn't limited by avoidable colour clashes."
Ollie Lewis, the head of broadcast at Premiership Rugby, said clubs were "overwhelmingly supportive" in eliminating kit clashes to make the league inclusive and accessible.
"Premiership Rugby are determined to lead the way in an important but often overlooked area relating to colour blindness of sports fans," Lewis said.
The final will be played at Twickenham on May 27.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
