The CAFE team is delighted to publish the findings of our Disabled Fans Survey 2016 – the largest disabled football fans survey CAFE has compiled to date.

The aim of the survey was to gain a wider understanding of the experiences of disabled football fans across Europe.

Furthermore, we sought to find out more about the numbers of disabled people attending matches, and the barriers disabled fans can face in supporting their clubs.

The online survey was made available in 10 languages, and was completed by 1074 people in 36 countries.

Amongst the key findings of the survey, 93% of respondents felt it was important for disabled people to have a choice of accessible seating across football stadiums.

90% of respondents also stated that it is important for disabled fans to be able to sit with their own supporters inside a stadium. However, more than one-in-six fans reported that they have been unable to do so when attending away matches.

Some of the common barriers outlined by respondents included a lack of pre-match information, inaccessible public transport and difficulty in purchasing tickets for accessible seating areas.

Speaking on the launch of the report, CAFE Managing Director Joanna Deagle said, “Our findings clearly show that the matchday experiences of disabled fans are still very different to those experienced by non-disabled fans, and the feedback we have received will continue to shape our works going forwards”.

Joanna added, “It was particularly alarming to see that almost 25% of respondents stated that they have witnessed or experienced an act of disability discrimination when attending a match, and this could be even higher in reality. This figure is unacceptable, and it is critical that football continues to raise awareness around disability to kick disability discrimination out of the game once and for all”.

To download the CAFE Disabled Fans Survey summary report, please click here.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the CAFE Disabled Fans Survey, and shared their feedback with us.

For more information please contact CAFE by email to [email protected], or call +44 (0)203 355 9867.

A version of this article is also available in German and French.