AC MILAN LAUNCHES THE FIRST INTEGRATED AUDIODESCRIPTION SERVICE

AC Milan feels the responsibility to be considered as a social and cultural institution, followed by more than 500 million fans worldwide, committed to driving and inspiring a positive change starting from the world of football, ensuring first and foremost that the fans of today and tomorrow can share the passion and magic of football.

Through the "AC Milan for All" programme, the Club is committed, day by day and in a concrete manner, to making its activities and its physical and digital spaces more and more accessible to its fans, searching for new solutions and constantly improving those already in place.

In Italy, where football fans make up more than 50% of the population, there are around 360,000 blind people and more than 1.5 million visually impaired. Precisely in order to respond to the needs of a considerable and passionate segment of their fanbase, in recent months AC Milan has collaborated with a specialised technological partner and Fondazione Istituto dei Ciechi di Milano to launch the new audiodescription service for blind and visually impaired fans.

In every home match, the Club will offer visually impaired supporters a detailed account of the match, produced directly from the press box of the San Siro stadium, with the help of a specialised announcer from Radio Rossonera. The new service also makes it possible to simplify the logistics and transmission of the signal, to move away from the use of disposable devices, and to extend the usability of the service to everyone, inside and outside the stadium, while at the same time favouring the independence of the fans.

To access the new audiodescription service, all you need is any smartphone or device with internet access and use the link available by emailing sansiropertutti@istciechimilano.it. Its digital and innovative nature means that the service can be used in the same way both inside the stadium – and in particular in the exclusive sector at pitch level reserved for blind and visually impaired fans, where a dedicated Wi-Fi network is now also available, accessible directly from your seat by simply scanning a QR code – and outside, giving everyone the chance to feel close to their favourite team from the comfort of their own home.

The service will be available already for AC Milan v Sampdoria, scheduled for Saturday 20 May, a match that will have a strong focus on inclusivity. In addition to the audiodescription service and the approximately 300 free tickets for all home matches given to fans with disabilities or from vulnerable family and social backgrounds, on this occasion AC Milan will also offer the live translation in LIS of the post-match interviews from the coach and players, in order to guarantee accessibility to deaf fans: a service that will be realised thanks to the collaboration with Ente Nazionale Sordi and DAZN.

"To be able to define ourselves as an inclusive Club, we have to guarantee all our fans, without distinction, the possibility to fully experience their Rossoneri passion and strengthen their emotional bond with AC Milan," said Paolo Scaroni, Chairman of AC Milan. "Thanks to projects and services such as audiodescription, we intend to make every fan feel like an integral part of our family: a goal that can also incentivise and guide the evolution of the entire football industry, in terms of accessibility and social inclusion".

With these aims in mind, the Club was once again able to count on the support of DAZN, with whom a special on-demand story was developed to share the experience at the San Siro stadium. The video, that will be available on the DAZN app from 19 May, constitutes a first step to make football increasingly accessible to all fans.

As part of the "AC Milan for All" programme, included in the RespAct Manifesto for equity, diversity and inclusion, recognised as an exemplary case by UEFA and the FIGC, the Club promotes a culture of accessibility even outside the stands of San Siro. AC Milan, in fact, subtitles and translates into LIS all of Coach Pioli's pre-match press conferences, and promotes visits to the Mondo Milan Museum and the Milanello Sports Centre for third sector associations, as well as many other initiatives.