VIP experience for disabled fans – #Morethanfootball initiative of Dinamo
This year again, GNK Dinamo Zagreb participated in the Cafe Week of Action. During the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks, the club showcases the activities the club held in the framework of the campaign.
The CAFE Week of Action is about celebrating inclusion in the game that we love, and working towards ensuring disabled people can take their rightful places amongst their peers within a football – from the grassroots to the boardrooms – as spectators, players, coaches, administrators, volunteers, and decision makers. The Week of Action was held from March 3 to March 11 this year and the main goal is to celebrate the activities and initiatives who share a belief in ”Total Football = Total Access”.
Dinamo decided to support this year’s Week of Action by organizing an interesting activity for disabled fans. The Centre for rehabilitation Zagreb, a rehabilitation centre for people with learning difficulties and intellectual disability, is one of the club’s project partners for the last few years. We invited 25 fans guided by their assistants to join us as VIP guests. We prepared a VIP presidential box for them and welcomed them at the Croatian league city game GNK Dinamo vs NK Lokomotiva.
The club wanted to give them the opportunity to feel a unique and special experience watching Dinamo game live from presidential seats. Even though Dinamo suffered defeat to Lokomotiva, our disabled fans were thrilled with everything, especially when the first team players Hilal Soudani and Mario Gavranović surprised them and visited them in the presidential box.
It was great! We are really happy and we enjoyed. Unfortunately Dinamo did not win, but there are still a lot of games this season – said one of our guests Zoran after the match.
We are really happy to be here. I have to say that our disabled fans surprised us with a warm welcome. I would like to thank them because of that. I think all other clubs should take care about their disabled supporters and there should be as many as possible this kind of events for them. We should help them to integrate into the football and into the community in general. Every little step is important. They made Soudani and me feel happy too – said Mario Gavranović after the game.
Dinamo is the leading Croatian club when it is about CSR projects and programmes, such as the football match audio description for blind and partially sighted fans, activities with deaf and hard of hearing fans or other interesting seasonal or annual projects. We want to be an example for all other football clubs, football organizations, sports clubs and society in general. Also, the club will do everything to give disabled supporters the opportunity to experience their passion for Dinamo live at Maksimir stadium.
