AC Milan, Fondazione Milan, and Ente Nazionale Sordi renew their collaboration to make the Club increasingly inclusive and accessible to all its fans
For the first time in Italy, players from the men’s First Team will announce the starting lineup for the match against Lecce at San Siro by performing their name signs on the stadium’s giant screens
Milan, 26 September 2024 – On the occasion of the International Week of Deaf People, AC Milan, Fondazione Milan, and Ente Nazionale Sordi (ENS) are renewing their collaboration with the aim of continuing to make the Rossoneri Club increasingly accessible and inclusive, contributing to drive positive change across the entire sector.
This shared journey aspires to break down barriers, embracing millions of AC Milan fans and football enthusiasts worldwide, bringing them closer to the emotions of the pitch. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 20% of the global population lives with some form of hearing loss.
To celebrate this occasion, in recent weeks the players of the men’s First Team welcomed some young fans from ENS to the Milanello Sports Center, where they were taught their respective name signs. These are special signs used within deaf communities to uniquely identify a person, usually linked to a physical characteristic, quality, or peculiarity, but also to their surname or favorite goal celebration.
During the official lineup announcement for the match against Lecce at San Siro on Friday, September 27, for the first time in Italian football, the Rossoneri players will perform their name signs on the stadium’s giant screens to introduce themselves to the fans in the stands. Among them, a delegation from ENS will also be present, invited by the Club and Fondazione Milan to enjoy a unique experience of fun and inclusivity.
Before kickoff, some representatives from Fondazione Milan and ENS Lombardia – accompanied by a professional interpreter – will be featured in a pitchside interview that will be shown on the San Siro giant screens, sharing with the attendees the values and initiatives that have characterized their collaboration for years.
AC Milan and Fondazione Milan President Paolo Scaroni commented: “The work carried out over the years alongside a prestigious institution like Ente Nazionale Sordi has made a substantial contribution to making our Club increasingly accessible to all our fans, who are always at the heart of everything we do. Through the implementation of concrete solutions and initiatives like tomorrow’s, we want to continue to inspire positive change throughout the entire football sector.”
Renzo Corti, President of the Lombardy Regional Council of Ente Nazionale Sordi, added: “We are delighted that, once again this season, the deaf fan community can enjoy AC Milan’s events and digital content, demonstrating the Club’s commitment to promoting social equity, equality, and inclusivity. Thanks to a new agreement with Fondazione Milan, events for the many deaf Rossoneri fans will continue to be accessible through subtitling and LIS translation. We hope this will make the deaf fans who have always supported their favorite team, as well as all deaf Italian football lovers, happy!”
This initiative is part of the “AC Milan for All” program, which encompasses the many initiatives carried out by the Club to ensure the greatest possible accessibility to its physical and digital spaces. Among the various projects dedicated to Rossoneri fans with disabilities or from challenging social backgrounds, all pre-match press conferences of the men’s First Team coach are simultaneously translated into sign language throughout the sports season, allowing Rossoneri fans with hearing impairments to fully enjoy one of the key moments of the football week.
