Dan Burn was widely praised for his “lovely gesture” after using British Sign Language (BSL) to celebrate a goal in Newcastle’s 4-0 win over Tottenham.
On a memorable day for the club, who have moved up to sixth in the Premier League table, deaf fans were allowed to experience the atmosphere at St James’ Park thanks to pioneering shirts.
The club’s kit sponsor Sela helped create the “game-changing” shirts – believed to be the first of their kind in Europe – which transform the noise of the stadium into a real-time touch sensation for fans who are deaf or have hearing loss.
Sela even gave way to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) on the front of Newcastle’s playing shirts, while those in the stands wearing the vibrating jerseys enjoyed this “brilliant” experience.
“What a game, what a day, what a shirt,” said David Wilson, a Newcastle fan who wore one of the special tops.
“I felt part of the singing, part of the stadium. The vibrations just continued through the full game. We felt involved in all the goals and all the singing, so I just want to say thank you.”
Fellow deaf supporter Ryan Gregson added: “That’s the best top ever. We felt the music, the singing, everything was included all in the top; it was brilliant. At 4-0, vibrations were amazing. I’m so happy, I would like to wear it every game.”
And the standout moment came when the cameras caught Burn signing “love the fans” in BSL during a celebration before it cut to a delighted young supporter in the stands.
RNID commended local-lad Burn, posting on X: “We love @NUFC’s very own Dan Burn’s BSL celebration today!
“The deaf fans met [Kieran] Trippier and Burn before today and taught them how to sign “love the fans”. Such a lovely gesture from him to do this during today’s match!”
Newcastle’s chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone had said the “Unsilence the crowd” campaign was a source of “deep pride”.
Silverstone added: “We believe that ‘Unsilence the Crowd’ will be truly game-changing for football and expect this campaign will revolutionise the football experience for any fan who is deaf or has hearing loss, regardless of which team they support.”