During the CAFE (Centre for Access to Football in Europe) action week, the Romanian U17 women’s national team benefited from the support of several young people with Down syndrome from the stands. Our national team participates in the qualification tournament for the EURO and plays at the FRF Training Centre in Buftea.
The young people are part of the Down Plus Bucharest Association and are themselves practitioners of football and other sports. Under the guidance of the president of the association, Georgeta Bucur, they supported the Romanian national team in Saturday’s game, against the representative of Poland. At the end of the match, lost by the Romanians, the young people with Down syndrome went to the field, where they consoled the young players with a hug.
The #TotalAccess week was also marked by the Romanian National Blind Team. You can read details HERE.
This week, on the initiative of CAFE and in partnership with UEFA, the participation of people with disabilities in football matches is encouraged. Under the slogan #Total Access, the integration activities of people with special needs in the world of football are promoted. Such actions are also part of the FRF’s Sustainability Strategy, which aims to monitor and ensure that the football environment and the infrastructure that serves the phenomenon are accessible to anyone who wants to participate, as a practitioner or supporter, in the period 2022-2030, regardless of personal abilities.
In the FRF’s sustainability strategy, one of the action policies is “Football for all abilities”, with the following ongoing initiatives:
- Promotion of football for the blind, through the activity of the National Blind Team, providing audio support at football matches for blind spectators and building football fields for the blind, with the help of the Government.
- Partnerships for the promotion of football for all abilities with: Down Plus Association, Special Olympics Romania, National Association of the Blind, Color Blind Awareness.
The CAFE Manifesto
Our vision is a world where disabled people are a key part of the global sporting landscape, as fans, employees, volunteers, and leaders, so that everyone has equal opportunities to contribute in an accessible, inclusive, and welcoming environment.
The CAFE Week of Action is the largest celebration of its kind, offering disabled fans and their groups (DSAs), clubs, venues, leagues, federations, NGOs, and everyone passionate about access and inclusion the chance to come together in promoting #TotalAccess.
