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CAFE is supported by the UEFA and is working closely with its 53 associations to improve access in European football stadia.

CAFE Warsaw seminar - March 2012

Respect Inclusion logo

UEFA EURO 2012 Respect Inclusion – Football with No Limits


Venue: Olympic Centre, Warsaw
Date: Monday 12th March 2012 from 10.00 for 10.30-11.30

 

The Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE) is to hold a press conference on 12th March 2012 from 10.30 to 11.30 at the Olympic Centre in Warsaw Poland to provide an update for their UEFA EURO 2012 project, Respect Inclusion – Football with No Limits and to introduce the ground breaking audio-descriptive commentary service which will be available for the first time to blind and partially sighted fans at live matches during UEFA EURO 2012. The press event will be followed by a 2 day training seminar for volunteers from each host city who will then provide this service throughout the tournament.


The event is sponsored by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), Council of Europe and UEFA. Key note speakers will attend the press and welcome ceremony including Ewa Marckowicz, the Chair of EPAS; Pedro Correia, the Head of EURO 2012 Planning, Ticketing and Admission Services Operations; Respect Inclusion Ambassador and former Poland international footballer Dariusz Dziekanowski, and Joyce Cook, the Managing Director of CAFE.


CAFE will also be providing an introduction to Audio Descriptive Commentary – a service that they will provide for partially sighted and blind spectators at UEFA EURO 2012. Martin Zwischenberger, an Audio Descriptive commentator from ORF in his native Austria, will outline what is unique about this type of commentary and how CAFE will implement it during the tournament.


Following the press announcement, an intensive two-day training course will be provided for volunteer Audio Descriptive commentators. Martin and his colleagues have a proven track record of providing such a service and they will be teaching a large amount of trainees how to provide the best possible service. Martin worked on a similar project at UEFA EURO 2008.


Joyce Cook, CAFE’s Managing Director comments: “This seminar provides us with an invaluable opportunity to raise awareness of the Respect Inclusion – Football with No Limits project and to introduce match day Audio Descriptive Commentary to the region. It is a service that many people may be unfamiliar with but it is an excellent service for partially sighted and blind spectators. We are delighted to be able to welcome such high-calibre guests to the seminar and to have so many local volunteers keen to learn this new skill which will ensure better inclusion and enjoyment for blind football fans”.

 

Editor’s Notes


UEFA EURO 2012 Respect Inclusion – Football with No Limits
UEFA is working with CAFE (Centre for Access to Football in Europe) to manage three separate RESPECT Inclusion initiatives. Under the “Football with No Limits” initiative, access information will be provided to disabled fans and visitors by the means of a tailor-made guide. Through the “Showcase games” project run by Special Olympics in Poland and the National Sports Committee for Disabled People in Ukraine, disabled people will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their sports skills by competing in football matches before each quarter-final game. Funds for future inclusion initiatives will be raised through the UEFA EURO 2012 Tournament charity project, encouraging football supporters and other benefactors to donate money for upcoming projects, with UEFA paving the way by committing to donate €3,000 for each goal scored during the tournament.
The project will train local volunteers as audio-descriptive commentators so that partially sighted and blind fans can enjoy the match day and stadium ambience alongside their fellow fans during UEFA EURO 2012.


About CAFE
The Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE), funded by UEFA, has been established as a European wide charity (registered in the UK) with a purpose to achieve equal access to football. Using the special influence of football, CAFE aims to improve the lives of disabled people by promoting inclusivity and equality; enabling more disabled people to enjoy a football match as a problem-free experience; and because football embraces diversity in all its forms, raising disability awareness and the importance of good access more widely throughout the UEFA region. For more information about CAFE and how you can get involved, please visit our website at www.cafefootball.eu or contact us @ info@cafefootball.eu or call +44 (0) 1244 893 586.

 

Key note speakers


Ewa Markowicz – Chair, Governing Board, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) of the Council of Europe
Ewa graduated from the University of Wroclaw, faculty of Political Science in 2003. From 2004-2006, she worked in the Ministry of National Education in the Department of Continuing Education. Since 2006, Ewa has worked for the Ministry of Sport and Tourism as Head of the Department of International Co-operation. She is responsible for all matters related to the bilateral and regional policy in the field of sport, which includes launching and extension of co-operation and implementation of common projects with European and Non-European countries. In 2011 she was part of team of the Polish Presidency in the EU Council, responsible for Eastern Partnership in the field of sport.
Since 2008, she has been a member of the Governing Board of EPAS (Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport of the Council of Europe) on behalf of the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism. From 2009-2011, Ewa was a member of its Bureau, where she had the opportunity to engage in the works of EPAS and represent the organisation at various international events. In 2011, Ewa was elected to the Chair of the Governing Board.
 

Pedro Correia - Head of UEFA EURO 2012 Planning, Ticketing & Admission Services Operations
Pedro has a strong background in financial and project management systems in major international environment. He has been actively involved in the organisation of different projects namely on the football competitions side, taking on different operational on site roles. Pedro is fully familiar with the Football Championships having worked on the side of UEFA, FIFA and Asian Football Confederation.
As a Portuguese with a passion for football, his aim for UEFA EURO 2012™ is to help in the promotion of football and deliver a high quality service to all the stakeholders. Disabled are included in one of these target groups and Pedro has strived to achieve improvements for each tournament that passes.


Dariusz Dziekanowski – UEFA EURO 2012 Respect Inclusion Ambassador, ex-player, Ambassador and TV Pundit

A former Polish football player and trainer, Dariusz graduated with a Master’s degree from the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw. He started his career in 1973 at Polonia Warsaw and played at several Polish Premiere League Clubs including Legia Warszawa, Gwardia Warszawa and Widzew Łódź. He won the Polish Cup in 1985 and 1989 and the Polish Championship in 1994. From 1989 to 1992, Daruisz played at Celtic Glasgow and moving to Bristol City from 1992-94. Dariusz won 62 caps for his country scoring 20 goals in his International career. In 1986, he was selected for the Polish team for the World Cup in Mexico. Following a successful playing career, Dariusz worked at the Polish Football Association as a junior national team coach from 2002-2006 becoming the second coach of the seniors’ national team from 2008-2008. Dariusz is now an expert football pundit and TV commentator and founder and President of the Polish Association of Former Players. Most recently, Dariusz has been appointed as the EURO 2012 Respect Inclusion project Ambassador.

 

Joyce Cook – CAFE, Managing Director

As CAFE’s Managing Director and Founder Director, Joyce heads up the management of CAFE and its projects. She is also Chair of Level Playing Field, a UK charity representing disabled football supporters and providing guidance to other sports such as cricket, rugby and Olympics 2012. Joyce is a disabled football fan and travels extensively to matches across Europe. Joyce is also a member of the Interim Board at Football Against Racism in Europe and a previous on-topic director at Football Supporters Europe. She sits on the board of a number of diversity and access groups including Women in Football, the FA Disability Equality Advisory Group and Kick it Out’s Equality Advisory Group. She has provided expert advice, consultation and representation to various sports and sporting events and groups. Joyce was awarded an OBE (UK) for her services to disabled sports fans in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2012.

 

Martin Zwischenberger – TV and Radio Commentator and audio-description commentator and trainer

Based in Vienna and Graz, Austria, Martin works as a journalist and commentator for Austrian TV. He provides most of the audio-descriptions on TV (football, Formula1, Ski –races, Ski-jumping, etc.) starting this work one year before EURO 2008 in the Austrian soccer league. Martin has worked for many radio stations in Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic as a moderator and journalist and also as an actor in Graz. He then worked alongside UEFA to deliver audio-described commentary during EURO 2008 and implemented this service within Austrian football clubs, transmitting all national and international matches. Martin has also worked as a press officer for Austrian teams at matches across Europe with experience in Ukraine and Poland.

 

Elena Karpukhina, CAFE Eastern European Development Officer

Elena comes originally from Russia, but now lives in Kiev, Ukraine. She has been an active participant of football fan initiatives since 2000. In 2008, after moving to Ukraine, Elena was awarded the Cup for contribution to fans’ initiative in Ukraine. Sports have always been Elena’s passion. She travels a lot, visits other countries, football games and tournaments of all levels, and meets different fans and initiatives. CAFE gave her an opportunity to make her hobby become her profession. Elena used to work as Corporate Communications Manager and as a consequence developed strong relations with mass media, business communities and associations that can influence public opinion and can help promoting interests of disabled people in order to raise public awareness of the problems that disabled fans experience every day. As CAFE Eastern European Development Officer Elena is responsible for CAFE’s development work, support and is the co-ordinator for the EURO 2012 Respect Inclusion Football with No Limits project in Ukraine and Poland.

 

About audio-descriptive commentary
Most partially sighted and blind people do not travel to football matches or live events where there is no audio-described commentary service. As such, they may be excluded from many cultural activities that most of society would take for granted. To ensure better inclusion within football stadia, an audio-described commentary service should be provided for match-going partially sighted and blind fans. This may also assist hard of hearing and Deaf fans.
Live commentary can be provided in a number of different formats and by using various mediums. An easy way to consider audio-commentary is to think about how a commentator usually delivers information via the radio and TV. Both are different in that the listener of a radio programme relies completely on the description of an event or match whereas a TV viewer will usually pick up much of the information in a visual context alongside a commentary or dialogue.
The key to a good audio-description service is to ensure a good commentator. At a live event, an audio-described commentator will provide a dedicated commentary with additional information for people without a visual view of the match or stadium activities.

The specially trained commentator provides additional narration that describes all significant visual information such as body language, facial expression, scenery, action, clothing, colours and anything else that is important to conveying the image, venue, match, event or surrounding ambience. During the match, the commentator should describe the on-pitch action rather than talking about statistics or tactics or providing lengthy summaries of previous action. Their training should include an introduction to visual awareness followed by sessions on voice, technique, preparation and language.

In the context of a live football match, audio-descriptive commentary ensures that the partially sighted or blind fan (listener) has a complete understanding of the match he or she is attending and is able to more fully enjoy the match day experince alongside fellow fans.
To receive this dedicated service, a partially sighted or blind fan simply picks-up or tunes into the match day audio-described commentary via a headset (receiver) and the commentary is transmitted by the commentator (to the listener) via a transmitter that operates within the stadium bowl. The football club, stadium or venue should be prepared to provide this service. If you wish to consider this service at your venue please do contact CAFE for further advice.


The UEFA EURO 2012 Respect Inclusion – Football with No Limits project will train local volunteers as audio-descriptive commentators so that partially sighted and blind fans can enjoy the match day and stadium ambience alongside their fellow fans during UEFA EURO 2012.
For more information about the UEFA EURO 2012 Respect Inclusion seminar, please contact info@cafefootball.eu or +44 (0)1244 893 586.

 


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