Anderlecht leading the way on accessibility
Thursday, February 13, 2025
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Anderlecht have reached the knockout phase play-offs of the UEFA Europa League and are also making strides off the pitch, where they offer audio commentary to blind and partially sighted fans at games.
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Born with around 3% vision, Anderlecht fan Laurens De Smet used to hold a standard season ticket and rely on his father to explain what was happening on the pitch.
However, his matchday experience was transformed when the Belgian club introduced the Blindentribune, a stand built at their Brussels home in 2007 that offers blind and partially sighted supporters the best possible perspective of the game.
The initiative provides Laurens and fellow fans with the chance to follow the action properly and with the communal spirit that underpins football fandom.
Crucial detail
Laurens, 25, has been a regular at Anderlecht since he was ten and is thankful for how his passion has been facilitated.
A major element of the Blindentribune is the tailor-made match commentary supplied via Bluetooth, featuring enormous detail and constant updates.
"I was born with a visual impairment," Laurens explains. "I can't recognise people by sight.
"I've been a season-ticket holder in the Blindentribune for over ten years and the commentary is of huge benefit. We have quality earbuds, there are Dutch and French-speaking commentators.
"It is more detailed than normal commentary. They will say, 'This player is wearing orange boots, the supporters are waving flags.' They report everything in depth."
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Emotional connection
Crucially, this attention to detail ensures that Laurens is able to feel emotionally connected to the match.
"The descriptions allow you to form an opinion, to be part of it. Football is the most beautiful sport, because of the emotion, how it brings people together."
"I always jump up when Anderlecht score. I hug the person next to me when emotions are running high – a goal in the dying minutes or in a UEFA Europa League game when we've been outplayed but still score."
Laurens has had plenty to celebrate in the Europa League this season, with Anderlecht beating Ferencváros and Ludogorets at home and drawing 2-2 with Porto to progress beyond the league phase into the knockout phase play-offs.
'People are happy'
Laurens describes the friendships he has made in the Blindentribune as a huge element of the experience.
"I've been going for so long, you get to know people," he says. "I know the people who scan the tickets, I know the security. I also always bring a friend to every match."
That is music to the ears of Anderlecht press officer Mathias Declerq.
"As a club we have responsibility to take people along with us," Declerq says. "The credit should go to the volunteers who have been doing this for 17 years. We get a lot of feedback that people are really happy."
'We do not discriminate'
Anderlecht are a strong example of UEFA's efforts to improve accessibility in European football, including at EURO 2024 last summer when audio-descriptive commentary, accessible tickets and more were provided.
First-team midfielder and academy product Theo Leoni is hugely proud of the club's efforts.
"What the club has done for blind people is what justifies my decision to play for Anderlecht," Leoni says. "We are a club that has our arms open wide. We make sure everyone enjoys themselves. We do not judge, we do not discriminate."