On 24 November, a meeting took place at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk’s training ground to establish a disabled supporters group at the club.

Disabled fans were invited on a tour of the training facilities, and watched the first team train ahead of their upcoming UEFA Europa League match against SS Lazio.

After the training session, the players and head coach met with the disabled fans in attendance. They spoke about their experiences following the team, and head coach Myron Markevych said, “Such meetings are necessary. The players have to see who they play for, and before our big match in Italy we now have very positive emotions”.

Dnipro defender and Ukrainian international Artem Fedetskyi added, “We are always here for these guys – our doors are always open. Their support is very important to us”.

The Head of the new disabled supporters group, Oleksandr Uskov, wished the players well for the game and provided the group’s unequivocal support. His fellow member of the disabled supporters group, Dmytro Zharyi, said, “Thanks to the club, the dreams of many disabled fans have come true today. We look forward to working with them for a very long time”.

A version of this article is also available in Ukrainian.

Published 25/11/2015