Welcome to CAFE!

We are the Centre for Access to Football in Europe.
'Total Football - Total Access'

CAFE is supported by the UEFA and is working closely with its 54 associations to improve access in European football stadia.

Thinking about attending the 2014 UEFA Champions League or Europa League Final?

As the semi-finals approach, is your team still in with a chance of winning the UEFA Champions League or Europa League? Or do you already have tickets to attend either match?

CAFE has published information for disabled fans hoping or planning to attend either of this year's Finals, taking place in Lisbon and Turin respectively. If you are planning on attending either match, please click the relevant link below for access information, the nearest airports, public transport, hotels and tourist spots.

For access information about getting around and staying in Lisbon, please click here.

For access information about getting around and staying in Turin, please click here.

2014 CAFE Week of Action - Total Football, Total Access

CAFE Week of Action 2014

CAFE has celebrated its second hugely-successful Week of Action campaign in Poland and Ukraine, which ran from 5-13 April 2014.

The Week of Action campaign is a part of the ongoing project delivered by CAFE in legacy of our works in the country around UEFA EURO 2012. CAFE was named as the official charity of the tournament and ran the UEFA Respect Inclusion - Football with No Limits project.

This year's campaign has received major mainstream attention in Poland and Ukraine, and done a tremendous job to promote good access for all fans to football stadiums. The final report is currently being collated and will be published in the next CAFE newsletter. In the meantime, please see below some of the stories to come out of Poland and Ukraine already:

UEFA.com article: CAFE helps disabled fans' access

Disabled fan in Sweden

UEFA and its associate partner CAFE are working closely together to improve facilities and the matchday experience for disabled supporters.

Thousands of disabled football fans love the game, and the issue of their access to matches, and how to improve facilities and the matchday experience for disabled supporters, has been given priority status by UEFA and CAFE.

Read more.

Blind and partially sighted spectators to enjoy the full FIFA World Cup experience

Audio descriptive commentary in Brazil

“For blind and partially sighted spectators to enjoy the full experience at a football stadium, they need to understand what is happening on the pitch and all around the ground,” explained Joyce Cook, Managing Director of the Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE).

Aimed at enhancing the experience of attending matches for blind and partially sighted people, FIFA and the Brazil 2014 Local Organising Committee (LOC) are providing a pioneering audio match commentary service in four stadiums at this summer’s World Cup. A training seminar was held in Rio de Janeiro’s famous Estadio Maracana for the volunteer commentators.

Read more.

BBC investigation into disabled fans facilities

"The experience for a disabled football fan is very varied, but it's nothing like that of a non-disabled fan" said Joyce Cook OBE, Chair of Level Playing Field.

Joyce was responding to a BBC study that found that only three top-flight stadiums currently provide the required number of wheelchair spaces. Of the 20 clubs in the Premier League, eight fail to offer even half of what they should under national guidelines - a situation that has remained largely unchanged for more than five years.

She called for radical change, claiming football has become "stuck" on the subject of disability.

Read more.

News in brief

Disabled fans stories and stadium comments

Disabled fans comments on a stadium that they have visited can be really useful for other supporters. The CAFE website allows for fans to send their feedback, both positive and negative, as well as any photos of stadiums that they have been to.

It is easy to leave your comments and feedback for stadiums that you have visited.

Read more.

Could you be a CAFE roving reporter?

Do you regularly attend football matches either as or with a disabled supporter?

We are looking to add to our group of roving reporters, publishing your accounts of attending football matches across Europe. It isn't a huge commitment, and your reports could prove to be really helpful for other disabled supporters who will be attending those stadiums in the future.

If you would like more information about becoming a CAFE roving reporter, please feel free to email us at info@cafefootball.eu.

This month we have received a roving report from a disabled supporter who attended the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final. Read more.

Access for All - UEFA and CAFE Good Practice Guide to Creating an Accessible Stadium and Matchday Experience

'Access for All' - The UEFA and CAFE Good Practice Guide to Creating an Accessible Stadium and Matchday Experience - is now available via the CAFE website in 13 European languages.

Read more.

Add your voice to the Club CAFE network

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.

For more information on how to add your voice to the Club CAFE network, Read more.

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"Together we can help to improve the lives of many disabled people around Europe through football and its fans"