International Day of Persons with Disabilities

On 3 December, FC Bayern will once again light up its Allianz Arena in purple for International Day of Persons with Disabilities. As in previous years, the stadium will send out a clearly visible message in favour of inclusion and the self-determined and equal participation of people with disabilities.

Hainer: “Inclusion means overcoming barriers - also in people's minds”

Herbert Hainer, FC Bayern president: “We want to encourage people to participate in society and show them that everyone is part of our FC Bayern family and society as a whole. When it comes to inclusion, we set standards in our Allianz Arena, from the seats for wheelchair users to transport and delivery services and team line-ups in sign language. Inclusion means overcoming barriers - also in people's minds. As FC Bayern, we want to raise awareness of this.”

Kim Krämer, FC Bayern's disabled fans' representative: “International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a very important and annually recurring event for me personally. It provides an opportunity to take stock. What progress has been made over the past year in the areas of accessibility, diversity and inclusion? How many people have been reached with the various projects to raise awareness of the issue? At the same time, we are looking ahead and analysing where the focus needs to be placed even more strongly. The aim is to create the best possible conditions in terms of diversity and inclusion - for a community that is truly open to all and in which everyone benefits.”

Allianz Arena a pioneer

During a visit to the Allianz Arena, Ulrike Scharf, Bavarian State Minister for Family, Labour and Social Affairs, took a tour with stadium managing director Jürgen Muth to see for herself how exemplary the club are in implementing inclusion in their stadium. She also found out about the ‘OBACHT’ awareness concept, which was adopted by UEFA at the European Championships and by the NFL at its American football match in Munich. “I’m proud that the Allianz Arena has been a reliable partner in terms of accessibility for years. Every visit to the stadium is an unforgettable experience, regardless of limitations,” said the minister. “Not only are sporting boundaries overcome here, but also barriers in terms of inclusion. The Allianz Arena is a pioneer in this area and can be considered the pinnacle of accessibility.”

FC Bayern's home ground is recognised worldwide as an example for inclusion and participation. By sharing experiences with those affected, it is possible to integrate all football fans. In addition to 324 seats for people in wheelchairs, subtitles for people with hearing impairments via smartphone and a live report for people with visual impairments are available on matchdays for an unrestricted football experience. Since last season, the team line-ups have been presented in sign language, as has the FC Bayern Women's team and the FC Bayern Basketball team - the result of an inclusive joint project between the deaf fan club ‘Red Deaf’ and the FCB initiative Red against Racism for diversity and against marginalisation of any kind. The cooperation with the Köhler transport service has proven its worth in helping people with disabilities and socially disadvantaged people to get to the stadium. This creates social contacts between the drivers and the users, and it sometimes happens, for example, that a driver accompanies a person with a disability because no other person is available in their private life. Outside of matchdays, FC Bayern also offers special disability tours for people in wheelchairs and with limited mobility.

In general, however, inclusion and equal opportunities are not yet a given in all areas of everyday life. In order to raise public awareness of this situation, numerous buildings and landmarks around the world will once again be lit up in purple on 3 December. The aim is to draw attention to the contribution of people with disabilities to society and to stand up for their rights and concerns.

A look at the illuminated Allianz Arena

If you want to see the Allianz Arena lit up in purple on 3 December, you can watch the stadium webcam from 4.30pm to 6pm CET.

Watch webcam