Donald Whitelock

Everyone knows the story of Cathkin Park and Third Lanark, but did you know it was the first ever football ground to have audio descriptive commentary for blind football fans in 1937!? In 1937, Rex Kingsley, a Scottish sports journalist and broadcaster initiated a service to provide live football commentaries for visually impaired fans. The idea was sparked when Kingsley observed a man at Dens Park, Dundee, attempting to describe the game to two blind men. Recognizing the need for a more effective solution, Kingsley took over the commentary and later established the “Rex Blind Parties” to offer this service regularly . The first organized Rex Blind Party took place in 1937, where Kingsley provided commentary for a group of blind men during a match between Third Lanark and Hearts. The initiative quickly gained traction, and by late 1938, it had expanded to various football grounds across Scotland