“Total Access”: An Action Week for Barrier-Free Football Featuring the Experiences of Blind and Visually Impaired Fans

This is the largest initiative of the Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE), aimed at ensuring that persons with disabilities take their rightful place in football – as fans, players, coaches, volunteers, and decision-makers.

The Croatian Football Federation actively contributes to this initiative and continuously works on improving accessibility. At Croatian national team matches, the Federation provides audio-descriptive commentary, enabling visually impaired fans to follow the game equally and enjoy the full stadium experience.

Clubs have also joined the initiative through various activities – from LED messages and social media posts to stadium announcements. They additionally supported the campaign by engaging with their users, while stadium announcers highlighted the importance of the initiative and inclusion in football. Below, we present the experiences of members of the Zagreb Association of the Blind who follow Croatian national team matches through audio description.

Mr. Davor Gergorić, member of the Zagreb Association of the Blind:

How would you describe your experience of attending football matches live?
It is truly a special experience that is hard to put into words. Compared to watching a match at home, it is completely different – it simply has to be experienced live because of the energy.

How important is the availability of audio-descriptive commentary at stadiums to you?
It means a lot to me – actually everything. Without it, it would be very difficult for me to follow the match. This way, I am completely satisfied and can enjoy everything happening on the pitch.

In what way does audio description affect your match experience?
Thanks to audio description, I can fully experience the match and be involved in every moment of it.

Do you think accessibility in football for visually impaired persons is improving?
I think it is improving, but there is always room for progress. For example, it would be good to further develop audio description on television and to enable blind people to attend more national team matches throughout the year.

What would you highlight as the most important step for further improving inclusion at stadiums?
As far as stadiums are concerned, the devices and communication work well and everything is currently fine – I wouldn’t change anything.

Mr. Stevan Jambrešić, member of the Zagreb Association of the Blind:

How would you describe your experience of attending football matches live?
Going to a live match is a special experience for me. The stadium atmosphere, the energy of the fans, and the whole environment make a big difference compared to watching at home. It is something that is difficult to put into words.

How important is the availability of audio-descriptive commentary at stadiums to you?
Audio description is extremely important to me because it allows me to follow the flow of the match. Without it, I would be quite limited in understanding what is happening on the pitch, so it greatly helps me.

In what way does audio description affect your match experience?
With audio description, I get a clearer picture of the game and can better follow the action, which makes the whole experience much more complete and interesting.

Do you think accessibility in football for visually impaired persons is improving?
I believe that progress is visible.

What would you highlight as the most important step for further improving inclusion at stadiums?
In my opinion, the most important thing would be to provide covered seating for persons with disabilities so that matches can be followed regardless of weather conditions.

Ms. Jelena Brešković, member of the Split Association of the Blind:

How would you describe your experience of attending football matches live?
For me, attending football matches live is a wonderful experience that I truly enjoy, and I take every opportunity to go to Poljud and watch Hajduk. The atmosphere in the stands is incomparable to watching matches on TV.

How important is the availability of audio-descriptive commentary at stadiums to you?
It means a lot to me because without audio description, I wouldn’t be able to follow what is happening on the pitch as a visually impaired person.

In what way does audio description affect your match experience?
Audio description acts as my own eyes on the pitch – it gives me a picture of everything happening both in the stands and on the field. Without it, I’m not sure it would even make sense to attend matches.

Do you think accessibility in football for visually impaired persons is improving?
Yes, definitely – everything is getting better, and the situation is incomparably better now than it was a few years ago. People are more approachable, and we have more opportunities.

What would you highlight as the most important step for further improving inclusion at stadiums?
I have a few ideas, but I would highlight the need to inform stadium security that we have visual impairments. Sometimes when I arrive, security staff are not aware and direct us elsewhere, and as a visually impaired person, I often don’t know where to go.

Mr. Ivan Bogdanović, member of the Split Association of the Blind:

How would you describe your experience of attending football matches live?
Since I have followed football from a very young age, mainly through radio and TV broadcasts, the introduction of audio description – first at the Croatia vs Hungary match at Poljud, and later through cooperation with Hajduk – opened new horizons in my experience of football. As not all fans have the same level of knowledge or interests, we focused on a classic match commentary combined with fan atmosphere, while I supplement my curiosity and tactical analysis through podcasts and other relevant content.

How important is the availability of audio-descriptive commentary at stadiums to you?
As I mentioned, I have followed football since childhood and attended Hajduk matches with my father. Since I don’t have enough residual vision to see the pitch, I could only enjoy the atmosphere, which eventually became frustrating as I constantly had to ask what was happening. Over time, I stopped attending matches. Since the introduction of audio description, I now attend matches with great pleasure, and without it, my visits would be minimal.

In what way does audio description affect your match experience?
From kickoff, it feels like listening to a very detailed radio broadcast while enjoying the stadium atmosphere. It provides insights that radio or TV don’t, as they focus mainly on gameplay. Commentators explain the ball position, player movements, set pieces, and fine details that sighted fans often overlook. Of course, it is important that commentators understand the game, communicate well, and are motivated – only then can audio description reach its full potential.

Do you think accessibility in football for visually impaired persons is improving?
I believe that all stakeholders – from national associations to local organisations and clubs – should further promote the participation of visually impaired persons through audio description. This could be achieved through working groups that visit cities hosting national team matches and engage local associations. Infrastructure and universal design must also be improved to make stadium access easier for everyone.

What would you highlight as the most important step for further improving inclusion at stadiums?
Improving overall stadium infrastructure will also improve inclusion. Although not everything is under the federation’s control, everyone must play their part. Universal design will be especially important in projects like the new Maksimir stadium. It is also essential that visually impaired fans are not segregated but integrated with other supporters, as this is the only way true inclusion can be achieved.

Through the #TotalAccess initiative, one powerful message is once again reinforced – football is for everyone.

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