REPORTING. Ligue 1: How FC Metz became innovative in France in terms of the accessibility of its stadium to supporters with disabilities
The Saint-Symphorien stadium rises along the arm of the Moselle which crosses Metz. Supporters flock by the hundreds to the entrances for the meeting between FC Metz and Losc, important in the race to maintain the home team; in that to Europe for visitors.
At the foot of the South Stand – refurbished – Caroline Gateau tries to convince a couple, whose man is visually impaired, to stay to watch the match. Since September, she has been the club’s Disabled Supporter (SSH) representative, responsible for steering and implementing the action plan on the accessibility of the stadium to this audience. His appointment is rooted in a broader desire by the club to offer the most complete welcome experience possible to all FC Metz supporters with a visible or invisible disability.
Almost two years ago, when work on the South Stand – inaugurated in 2020 – was completed, the club had already made progress in terms of accessibility. A collective made up of four associations and employees representing several components of the club was created to optimize dialogue between all parties. A set of reflections were then initiated to make the lives of SSH easier: “For example, the doors of disabled toilets were too heavy for people to handle easily. If you don’t have the experience or if you don’t talk to people who are faced with this on a daily basis, you can’t necessarily anticipate it.”
This dialogue group has met every two months since March 2022 and discusses infrastructure aspects but also spectator experience. “OWe want to be a driving force in improving this experience for our disabled supporters. Some supporters are ultras and others prefer to watch the match in a family stand. We want our spectators with disabilities to have the same choice as others.” In total, 194 seats distributed in the stadium’s four stands, including turns, are accessible to wheelchair users (UFR). Added to this are dedicated parking spaces, a site reserved only for SSH, a ticket office adapted to all disabilities with preferential prices (up to less 70% on the ticket).
We take one of the 11 elevators installed during the work to find Caroline Gateau, on the top floor of the South Stand. This former communications manager in a bank in Luxembourg checks that all the supporters are properly seated, opens a door to those who wish to collect audio description equipment used for visually impaired people or briefs the eight reception agents dedicated to this public. “There was never anyone who said to themselves ‘I was so poorly received, I’ll never come back’. It’s a small victory. I find it extremely important to be able to welcome all the audiences in this stadium. Because football is the most popular sport, everyone wants to be there.”she explains, while keeping an eye on the meeting.
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