AEK Athens FC: Football and Social Action for a Sustainable Future
Guided by its history and roots, AEK Athens FC has developed a social action plan that harnesses the unique power of football to raise awareness about major societal challenges and issues. With consistency and dedication, the Club organizes a range of initiatives designed to make a difference. AEK Athens FC has launched activities in several key areas: fighting racism and all forms of discrimination, promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion with full respect for human rights. Health and education, aiming to improve quality of life and raise awareness of these essential issues. Support for youth, focusing on their education, protection, and psychological well-being. Environmental protection, highlighting the importance of sustainability. Football open to all, celebrating the sport as a means of inclusion and accessibility for everyone. One of the most recent initiatives, widely praised both in Greece and abroad, is the creation and operation of the Sensory Room at the state-of-the-art OPAP ARENA stadium. AEK Athens FC is the first football club in Greece to implement and manage such a project, inspired by the practices of leading European clubs. The Sensory Room is a groundbreaking space designed for children aged 5 to 12 with cognitive disabilities, neurological conditions, and related disorders. This specially designed room offers these young fans a calm and comfortable environment to experience their favorite team’s matches. With a pitch view, the room features relaxing visuals, colors, sounds, and equipment tailored to create a soothing experience. The primary aim of the Sensory Room is to help children gradually acclimate to the sounds and atmosphere of the stadium, eventually enabling them to enjoy matches from the stands in the future.
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room accommodates three families per match, with a maximum of three family members (two adults and one child) per family. It operates 120 minutes before kickoff until the end of the game, staffed by qualified professionals, including speech therapists and music educators. This initiative has been warmly embraced from the very beginning and continues to grow. Angeliki Arkadi, General Manager of AEK Athens FC, emphasized the importance of social responsibility among major football clubs: “All of us who are present and active in the glamorous world of football, the most popular sport worldwide, on and off the pitch, must understand the big responsibility we have towards society, by creating continuous social actions involving inside them the protagonists and best ambassadors who are the Athletes. Now we are preparing our new steps for new projects as we know that our voice has power. Let us therefore also become the voice of the weak. The big Football Clubs should be the leaders promoting a more sustainable society at every level. By doing so, we can ensure a brighter future for all of humanity, especially for the new generation”. Through projects like the Sensory Room, AEK Athens FC reaffirms its commitment to being a leader not just in the world of sports but also in the social sphere, working towards inclusive football and a fairer society.
