Watching football can sometimes be frustrating when you're visually impaired. But for fans in Greece things are a bit easier – thanks to a joint project from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens and the Olympiacos Football club.
It offers the first audio-descriptive commentary service in Europe. The commentary has made a vast improvement to attending a football match, with even the players' facial expressions included in the coverage, whether they are winning or losing.
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"To be honest nothing can replace vision, not even with this system, but it's the closest so far," said visually impaired supporter, Dimitris Palialexis. "Through this, I can enjoy and live the game, I know what's going on in real-time, I can even create images of the expressions of those playing, something radio commentary doesn't offer. This system has opened the door for me to enjoy even more what I love the most, football,"
FIFA has announced the Women's World Cup will, for the first time, allow blind and partially-sighted fans the opportunity to receive a detailed account of the on-field action.
Why don't fans just listen to the radio? FIFA says commentators of audio-descriptive coverage are taught to focus on body language, facial expression, scenery, action, clothing, colors and anything else that might be important to convey context.
Only five fans at a time can access the commentary but Olympiacos are working on extending the offer./CGTN Europe
Ahead of the match, Athens Panteion University organized training classes for a group of students who are helping to provide the service. It all starts at gate 34 in row B in the media section. That's where the students have set up their consoles and equipment, waiting for the fans to arrive.
Once ready, the headphones go on, and the description begins. And as the action unfolds, every detail matters. Audio-descriptive commentary is quite popular in Europe, it has been used in the French League and Premier League, but only as a pilot project.
In Greece, Olympiacos is offering that service on a permanent basis. At the moment, it's only available for up to five people at a time but the demand is growing.
"It only takes a few minutes for those five seats to get sold out," said Head of Marketing, Nikos Gavalas. "The best feeling is when we post those seats online and people call in to book them. The demand is high. We didn't expect many people would want to join. We constantly receive phone calls and messages from blind people thanking us. And that gives us joy, knowing that under the roof of our stadium, we all have the same view."
After staying away from football matches for years, Dimitris can now enjoy his favorite game from the front row. He can chant and comment just like everyone else in this stadium. Football is part of his life as never before.