Colour-Blind Irish Rugby Fans To See Green For The First Time

The IRFU has teamed up with ROTHCO, part of Accenture Interactive, to help over 250,000 colour-blind Irish rugby fans to See Green.

A ‘See Green’ Google Chrome extension has been developed to allow colour-blind users apply a colour overlay to a video by adjusting the hue, saturation, and contrast. For more information visit seegreen.ie

As colour blindness varies from person to person, the tool is simple to use to deliver a personalised experience.

A slider-based solution – calibrated by using the IRFU logo – easily alters the contrast of the shades on screen. The extension can be used on desktop for any matches that are being streamed legally, enriching the experience across all spectrums of colour-blindness.

A new campaign to create awareness of the technology tells the story of Bobby Blakeney, who has been an avid rugby supporter for 74 years, and suffers from severe colour-blindness. Bobby is unable to distinguish accurately between green and red.

The technology is available to download for free from the 18th September. A website has been set up to house the technology, featuring instructions on how to download the extension and a series of ‘memorable Irish rugby moments’ that can be altered with See Green ahead of the World Cup.

While the technology was developed specifically for Irish rugby fans it is available worldwide and can assist fans of all sports and teams.

Philip Browne, CEO of IRFU, said:

“The IRFU are pleased to work with ROTHCO on this innovative solution for those who are colour-blind. People know all about the importance of the green jersey and getting behind the green team, but for some it is difficult to distinguish between Ireland’s green and the colour of the opposition jersey.

Sports fans from all over the world who experience such issues can now see things clearer. While this tool had been developed with Irish Rugby fans in mind, the solution can help people everywhere to see a whole new world of colour. We hope that people will now See Green for the first time.”

Adam Crane, Creative Director at ROTHCO, part of Accenture Interactive, said:

“Inclusivity is central to Irish Rugby and the team stands shoulder to shoulder with fans. With this campaign we wanted to explore this idea even further. Colour vision deficiency and colour blindness only effects approximately 5% of the population, but we felt that it was a group of fans that we could and should help.

See Green is a simple tech fix that can improve the flow of matches for this group. All our research suggests that we have made it a more enjoyable experience following the men in green.

For more information visit seegreen.ie