CAFE DAO Project Manager Jochen Kemmer recently travelled to Moscow to provide a two-day training seminar on the roles and responsibilities of Disability Access Officers (DAOs).

The event, held in cooperation with the Russian Football Union (RFU), welcomed DAOs from all clubs playing in Russia's top two divisions to the RFU's House of Football.

Jochen was joined by CAFE consultant Elena Popova in providing the training, and Dinamo Zagreb DAO Iva Cigrovskij also attended the seminar to discuss her experiences of the role.

Day one of the seminar included the delivery of CAFE's Disability Inclusion and Etiquette Training (DIET), and a discussion led by Iva about the duties a Disability Access Officer may face in performing their role. The RFU recently implemented new licensing regulations, requiring all clubs to appoint a Disability Access Officer.

Discussion points included how best to communicate with a range of disabled people, as well as identifying common obstacles disabled people can face in attending live football matches.

For day two the seminar moved to Spartak Moscow's Otkrytiye Arena, and Supporters Direct Europe, a number of Supporter Liaison Officers (SLOs) and other club representatives joined the meeting. The stadium will host five matches during the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Representatives of the Russian Football Premier League, Football National League and Professional Football League also attended the meeting, and RFU anti-discrimination inspector Alexei Smertin provided an update on his recent findings in Russia.

Speaking after the seminar, Elena said, "It was a pleasure to represent CAFE at this event in Moscow, and meet with many people who are working to improve access and inclusion across Russia. The seminar led to a number of interesting discussions, and we are keen to continue our works towards Total Football Total Access in Russia".

Jochen added, "We are very grateful to the Russian Football Union for inviting us to present at this event, and also we must say a big thank you to Iva for joining us and discussing her role at Dinamo Zagreb".

To view a summary video of the event posted by the RFU, please see below or visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhciLoKeKN8&feature=youtu.be.

Published 22/02/2018