24,000 frenzied supporters gathered at our Cegeka Arena for the match against Club Brugge. The ground was filled with fireworks, flares, bullhorns, and chanting supporters. It was great for the atmosphere, but it was also too many stimuli for people with high sensitivity or autism to experience a live football match. With the launch of Tribune G, an isolated grandstand behind glass, the club now launches a low-stimulus alternative. In combination with the team’s wheelchair stand and its blind stand, the Cegeka Arena immediately becomes the most inclusive stadium in Belgium.
A sold-out Cegeka Arena was full of fervour yesterday for the big match against Club Brugge. But for the first time ever in Belgian football, 31 children, young people and adults suffering from autism or high sensitivity were also able to attend the match in a low-stimulus environment.
"We started to get the idea from the English league, where Manchester City and Arsenal have already set up specific areas so that, for example, children with high sensitivity can experience the match in an adapted context," says Niel Janssen, Community Coordinator at KRC Genk. “We are now also introducing that concept in our stadium and therefore to our own league. On the fourth floor of our main building, we have placed a section of the stand behind glass to allow people to watch the match in appropriate circumstances without any stimuli. For the next five matches, the stand will be full of people who can finally come and experience a match. In the future it will be possible to use the FRZA! Foundation to sign up to receive tickets.”
KRC Genk is accustomed to being a leader in terms of providing an inclusive football experience. The stadium has had suitable facilities for many years to allow home and away supporters in a wheelchair to experience the match. In 2012, the club even launched another Belgian first with their “Blindentribune”, where blind and partially sighted people can experience the match with the help of headphones and specifically adapted live match coverage. The addition of Tribune G, a low stimulus stand, shows the club once again opening new doors for a specific group within our society.
“KRC Genk is known for its inclusiveness, strong impact on society and the many initiatives we undertake in which we create a “return for society”. We are therefore proud to present a novel idea once again and thus become the most inclusive stadium in Belgian football,” said Erik Gerits, General Manager of KRC Genk.
Tickets
Do you know or are you someone who would like to have a seat in Tribune G? E-mail foundation@krcgenk.be for more info!
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