Raising the Bar – improving stadium and security operations
UEFA, the EU and other stakeholders have emphasised their strong commitment to guaranteeing safety and security in football stadiums at a keynote conference in Vienna.
Over 300 professionals from the qualified clubs, their police counterparts, stadium owners as well as UEFA member associations and government bodies joined forces, providing a unique platform to iron out the operational issues and responsibilities for the new season of UEFA competition matches.
Opening the conference, the message delivered by František Laurinec, chairman of the UEFA Stadium and Security Committee and UEFA Executive Committee member, was that safety comes first. "It overrides all other aspects of match organisation. Preventative measures are the best course of action coupled with sensible regulations that are based upon real-life experiences. In safety we must always strive to better ourselves, developing good practices in harmony with an ever-changing society."
CAFE Managing Director Joyce Cook gave an impassioned presentation during the conference, introducing the UEFA and CAFE good practice guide - "Access for All" - to the audience and underlining the importance of easy access and comfort for disabled fans.
To view "Access for All - the UEFA and CAFE Good Practice Guide to Creating an Accessible Stadium and Matchday Experience", please click here.
Dawid Zapisek 1998 - 2012
 The CAFE team were deeply saddened to learn about the death of Dawid Zapisek, a young disabled football fan from Poland.
Dawid was well known to many football supporters across Poland as a huge Lechia Gdansk fan. He also regularly travelled to watch Real Madrid play when his hometown club were not in action.
Prior to UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, CAFE met with Dawid and his mother Sylwia. Dawid told us, “Quite simply, I just love football”, and left a long-lasting impact on all of the CAFE team. Despite his young age, Dawid had already won numerous football trivia competitions in Poland and had given lectures to universities about his life.
Dawid always fought for better access to football stadiums and had a great understanding about the subject. Above all else, Dawid adored football and was an exceptional young man. On behalf of the whole CAFE team we send our deepest condolences to Dawid’s family and friends.
CAFE meets with President of European Paralympic Committee
 Earlier this month CAFE Managing Director Joyce Cook met with John Petersson, the President of the European Paralympic Committee, and his colleague Matthias Gutt, at Wembley Stadium in London.
Joyce introduced CAFE to John and Matthias, and told them about the works that we do across Europe. They were also taken on a tour of Wembley Stadium to view the accessible facilities for disabled supporters in the stadium.
John, Joyce and Matthias discussed a future collaboration including shared works alongside CAFE in John's native Denmark and across the European region
They are looking forward to their next meeting again in the very near future!
FARE Action Weeks 2012
Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) will hold their annual Action Weeks campaign from the 16th to the 31st of October 2012.
The Action Weeks aim to increase public awareness of the discrimination in football; create a united front by bringing together everyone in football; and develop ideas and new practices that challenge exclusion. A key part of the activities are the events that further social inclusion by bringing people of different communities together through sport.
For more information, please visit the FARE website at http://www.farenet.org/default.asp?intPageID=16.
News in brief
- Fifth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - please click here for more information.
- Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Holds Eighth Session - please click here for more information.
- New date for European Healthy Stadia Conference is Thursday 21 March 2013 - please click here for more information.
- Epic European Disability Roadtrip: never give up - please click here for more information.
- International Disability Alliance: Towards A Stronger Disability Movement Worldwide - please click here for more information.
- And finally... we thought you might enjoy these wonderful wheelchair designs!
CLUB CAFE Network continues to grow
At our September 2011 conference we launched the CLUB CAFE network. CLUB CAFE exists to bring like-minded people together to work towards our goal of Total Football, Total Access.
Since the conference, the network has expanded considerably. People from all across Europe have added their voice to our cause. The more people speak up, the more our voices are heard.
For more information on CLUB CAFE and to download a copy of the form, please visit http://www.cafefootball.eu/2011/10/03/blog/Introducing-CLUB-CAFE.aspx
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