Accelerating accessibility in football

The event presented the latest version of the UEFA Accessibility Guidelines, which were published in September, followed by a panel discussion on how these guidelines and other UEFA resources can further efforts to improve and guarantee accessibility.

Sustainability managers and Disability Access Officers (DAOs) from across Europe attended the event at the Cidade do Futebol in Lisbon, showcasing UEFA’s commitment to accessibility. The topics discussed emphasised the need for collective responsibility to ensure that disabled people, who make up 1.3 billion individuals, or 16% of the global population (source: WHO), can fully enjoy access to football. UEFA’s goal is to guarantee access for anyone wanting to play, attend events, or work in football.

For this reason, the guidelines are updated regularly and translated into 12 languages, ensuring their dissemination across all football stakeholders.

Sharing best practices

The subsequent discussion was moderated by Pedro Pinto, and welcomed the following panellists:

• Jo Becker, Accessibility Lead, Manchester City FC
• Rita Ferro Rodrigues, Disability Access Officer (DAO), Portuguese Football Federation
• Presilia Mpanu-Mpanu, Social and Environmental Sustainability Expert
• Michael Rice, Operations Manager, AccessibAll

Best practices shared by the panel included examples from UEFA EURO 2024 and from accessibility and inclusion projects implemented by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) to improve the matchday experience for fans with disabilities. The panellists also explained how organisations can use UEFA’s accessibility checklist to monitor progress on their accessibility journeys.

The event welcomed Portugal’s Secretary of State for Sport Pedro Dias, who gave a keynote speech, FPF general secretary Teresa Romão, and UEFA's director of social and environmental sustainability Michele Uva, while an online audience were able to follow via a livestream on uefa.com.

Watch the full panel discussion below: ⬇️

The power of collaboration

The event highlighted the vital role that our network of disability access officers plays in promoting accessibility in football, and the importance of using one common language and approach.

As part of the event, national association DAOs were invited to take part in a dedicated training session, aiming to provide them with further insights and concrete examples on how they can further develop accessibility in their contexts – whether that be within stadiums and facilities or across footballing and other activities.

UEFA's commitment to accessibility

Guaranteeing barrier-free access for any individual wanting to play, attend events or work in football is one of the ambitions of our 2030 football sustainability strategy, Strength Through Unity. That ambition falls under our policy of football for all abilities, within which the accessibility of facilities and activities is fundamental.