International Day of Persons with Disabilities

As in previous years, FC Bayern will be illuminating its Allianz Arena in purple on 3 December as part of the global #PurpleLightUp campaign to draw attention to the issue of inclusion on International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The day has been promoted by the United Nations since 1992.

FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer: "To mark International Day for Persons with Disabilities, FC Bayern would once again like to raise awareness of integration and at the same time encourage those affected to play an active role in our society. Around 15 per cent of the world's population live with a disability. Let us all help to include them. Our club fosters self-determined and equal participation with various projects. It's not only in sport that it's crucial to practise togetherness."

Kim Krämer, FC Bayern's disabled fans' representative: "A groundbreaking highlight in terms of accessibility in 2025 was how FC Bayern implemented the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (Accessibility Improvement Act), which came into force this year. For many fans, contact with the club starts via digital media, and this is where real participation begins. Digital accessibility is not a project, but a clear commitment: everyone who wants to be there is part of the game - and part of FC Bayern." Krämer explains that the club has been working for over three years to make the digital services fully accessible. This project sets technical standards, "and it stands for a living corporate culture: the Accessibility Improvement Act has inspired us to anchor inclusion and genuine participation even more firmly in the minds of all employees and partners."

This year's motto for International Day of Persons with Disabilities is: 'Reinforcing an accessible and inclusive society to promote social progress'. FC Bayern has been heeding this for a long time: for example, the needs of people with disabilities were already taken into account when planning the Allianz Arena. As a fully accessible stadium, it's now a global role model for inclusion and participation in football. In addition to 324 seats for wheelchair users, live subtitles for people with hearing impairments and an audio description/visually impaired report via app for people with visual impairments are available on matchdays to ensure an unrestricted football experience.

The project that FC Bayern has been realising for two seasons alongside its ‘Red Deaf’ fan club, in which fans with hearing impairments develop the gestures that the players in women's and men's football and basketball sign while the team line-ups are being read out on the monitors, also sets standards. FC Bayern also offers a special transport service for people with disabilities to attend home games at the Allianz Arena, and during matches, wheelchair users can make use of a special ordering and delivery service, which is run jointly with its partner Betano. On non-matchdays, special barrier-free tours are also offered for people with limited mobility.

The club also attaches great importance to continuous dialogue in the area of inclusion, which is why it has its own representation of interests in the fan dialogue working group, for example. The ‘Rollwagerl-SHOP’ in the Allianz Arena is a regular meeting point, with long-standing CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, FCB Legends such as Giovane Élber and stadium managing director Jürgen Muth among those who have stopped by. In the summer, Herbert Hainer visited the ‘Red Deaf’ fan club on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, and in 2024 the president was a guest at the ‘30 years of Rollwagerl eV’ celebrations. This year, board member for sport Max Eberl will visit “Rollwagerl eV” as part of FC Bayern’s Christmas visits.