Real Betis to launch the most inclusive match in the world
Real Betis Balompié will hold the most inclusive match in the world at the Benito Villamarín Stadium, aiming to bring together disabled fans from all over the world, in order to support the right for everyone to watch to football matches at the stadiums.
This historic event will take place in the second half of February, on matchday 22 of LaLiga – the match will be between Real Betis and Real Valladolid. To launch this initiative, the Verdiblanco club has joined Integrated Dreams, a Lisbon-based NGO, that has the mission of increasing the representation of people with disabilities in the world of sport through inclusion, development and education.
This initiative will be officially launched on 28 September, during the World Football Summit. The launch ceremony will be presented by Ramón Alarcón, General Director of Business at Real Betis, Antonio Muñoz, Mayor of Seville and José Soares, founder of Integrated Dreams.
Among the actions that will be organized within this inclusive match will be a march for inclusion that will join disable fans from all around the world in the streets of Seville, in order to raise awareness for the rights of disabled fans in football. This initiative will also include the presentation of Real Betis disabled football team at the Benito Villamarín Stadium, conducting surveys to improve the experience and accessibility at the stadium on match days, and numerous other actions.
But this game also wants to break records, welcoming the highest number ever of disabled people to watch to a football match at a stadium, which could serve as a milestone in the inclusion of people with disabilities in sport.
Real Betis is working to improve the experience of its fans on match days. To achieve this, the club has created a specific body of volunteers responsible for carrying out the service 'We accompany you to your seat', which consists of helping people with disabilities or mobility difficulties to access their location. In addition, the club has accessible ticketing for people in wheelchairs. At the end of last season, Real Betis also made sensory packages for people with autism available to its fans on match days, becoming the first LaLiga team to launch this initiative.
Integrated Dreams
Integrated Dreams Association (ID) is an NGO founded in 2017, based in Lisbon, Portugal, with a mission to increase the representation of people with disabilities in the world of sport through inclusion, development, and education.
The organization started a training program specifically designed to promote the employability, entrepreneurship and networking of people with disabilities in the world of sport, the Football For All Leadership Program (FFALP). This project has already had 3 successful editions, where people with disabilities from 20 different countries have been supported. The program is supported by many partners, including FIFA and the Center for Access to Football in Europe.
Following their inclusive mission, ID has also partnered with the World Football Summit to launch the Football Without Limits Award, to celebrate the most outstanding projects related to football and disability around the world.
World football Summit: Where the football industry meets
World Football Summit (WFS) is the meeting point for the leaders of the football industry, where the future of this sport is debated and built. Our platform has grown from an annual meeting focused on the European market to a growing series of events covering the challenges and opportunities of the different regions and sectors of this thriving industry. WFS is powered by a global community of influential professionals who share a unique passion for the business of sport and a mission to spark debate, share knowledge and promote innovation that drives the progress of sport and the industry.
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