LUIS CASTRO, ON ACCESSIBILITY AT THE STADIUM: "WE ALWAYS TRY TO GO BEYOND WHAT THE RULES SPECIFY"

13/03/2021

The Board member toured the improvements to the Preferencia and Fondo stands as part of the CAFE Week of Action

The CAFE Week of Action, an association sponsored by UEFA to facilitate access to stadiums by eliminating architectural and sensory barriers, comes to an end this Sunday. Sevilla FC has carried out a series of events as part of the event, such as the recording of the club anthem with sign language interpretation, and the agreement with three local associations for the development of the Sevilla FC Genuine team.

In another of these nods to this initiative, the Board member Luis Castro recently visited the works carried out in the Preferencia and Fondo stands of the stadium, all of them in accordance with the current regulations: "Our president and the board are fully aware of all our fans and season-ticket holders, especially those who may have difficulties to fully enjoy our stadium, our home and our team. We always try to go beyond what the rules specify. We try to improve things as best we can and based on the demand we have".

Going into more detail, Castro commented on some of the improvements that have been made: "In the renovations that have been taking place recently, both in the interior and in the Fondo and Preferencia stands, for the UEFA Europa League Final in 2022, we already have all the regulations in place and we always try to go further. The lifts are more spacious and are made of glass which can reduce anxiety for people who have claustrophobia. There are many types of limitations that you think may not exist but they do on a daily basis. All of the bathrooms are adapted, and there are multiple-sized desks for people at both the ticket office and the bars inside the stadium. Furthermore, wheelchair users will have access to two excellent entry points, which are fully adapted in both Fondo and Preferencia. In the Preferencia stand, there was a small section of the tour that was not accessible due to stairs. Now all parts of the tour are completely accessible, including the press room and the dressing rooms".

He also made it clear that all these adaptations do not only concern architectural barriers: "We have catered for those with visual disabilities, where we need to facilitate access points or help or assist them to their seats. In the future, we will have descriptive audio of live games in the stadium, and, for deaf people, we will facilitate their communication within the stadium. There will even be solutions for people with mental disabilities".