On Tuesday, 17 July the first ever Disabilty Access Officer (DAO) meeting took place at Hampden Park.
 
The purpose of Disability Access Officers in Scotland is to support the provision of inclusive and accessible facilities across football grounds in the country.
 
The project aims to increase the number of disabled fans attending live matches which in may lead to more disabled fans participating in football as players, coaches and volunteers.
 
The requirement for clubs to provide a DAO was initially applicable to SPFL Premiership clubs but in 2017 the Scottish FA introduced this requirement within its domestic club licensing criteria for Bronze, Silver and Gold level clubs.
 
A wide range of topics were discussed at the first meeting including the groups aims going forward.
 
This will be the first of many for the group.
 
The assembly was set up following a very successful DAO workshop held in May led by Jochen Kemmer, Centre for Access to Football in Europe Project Manager  and fully supported by the Scottish F.A.
 
Speaking at the May workshop, Celtic’s Disability Officer Alexis Dobbin said: “I found this to be really interesting and informative event for someone like myself who is new to the role of DAO.
 
“It was a great way of me getting to meet and chat to other DAO’s and introduce myself to them.  It is a great way to exchange ideas and work on ways we can continue to improve accessibility in football.”