Joyce Cook and Ben Veenbrink jointly launch new accessible stadia guide
The Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE), created via a UEFA charity cheque in 2009, has held its inaugural Total Football, Total Access conference in London.
The conference was held in London's Wembely stadium on September 24 & 25. Participants, which included disabled fan group representatives, stadium managers, architects and club representatives from all over Europe, discussed the importance and need to develop accessible and all inclusive stadia in Europe.
Ben Veenbrink delivered a keynote on behalf of UEFA. During his presentation Ben positioned the need for all inclusive stadia and UEFA's program for the disabled within UEFA's integrated safety and security concept in which the fans should always come first. He furthermore highlighted the results of a recent UEFA survey amongst 76 UCL & UEL stadia as well as the challenges and opportunities we are facing to deliver accessible stadia in Europe. A video of Ben's presenttaion can be found here.
The key moment in the conference agenda came when Ben Veenbrink, a member of UEFA's stadium construction and management panel, and Joyce Cook, CAFE's managing director, jointly launched the UEFA and CAFE Good Practice Guide to Creating an Accessible Stadium and Matchday Experience.
CAFE was created to promote and ensure equal access across the region covered by UEFA's member national associations. It provides support, guidance and advice to partners and stakeholders, which include UEFA, the national associations, leagues and clubs, disabled fans and disabled supporter groups.
The organisation also represents disabled fan rights in an on-topic division at the fan network Football Supporters Europe.
Major goals are inclusivity and equality of experience – and because football embraces diversity in all its forms, CAFE is working with the football family to raise disability awareness throughout Europe. Part of its mission is to empower disabled people to exercise their rights.
CAFE's primary motivation is to encourage and deliver inclusive football stadiums across Europe and to make sure that everyone – including those who face physical, sensory, psychological and intellectual barriers – can access the game.