Inclusion in professional football: Unisex toilets and men’s pads: How inclusive are stadiums?

This news from Manchester United caused (almost) as much excitement as the signing of the new coach a few days earlier. In mid-November, the traditional club presented the Portuguese Rúben Amorim as coach, and a week later the English football record champions surprised everyone with completely different news: United is the first club in the Premier League to want to make it easier for male fans with bladder weakness to visit the stadium.

In addition, sanitary products such as insoles for men will be offered at the Old Trafford stadium in the future. The fact that one of the largest clubs in the world is presenting itself as a pioneer did not go unnoticed in Germany either. “In my opinion, it is an important signal that the club is sending out here, as older men in particular are often affected by prostate cancer and can therefore suffer from incontinence, at least temporarily, which does not go well with a visit to the stadium,” says Thomas Schneider, head of fan affairs the German Football League (DFL), the German Press Agency.

Important signal, but exception?

On the other hand, it is also a signal that is particularly noticeable because the Red Devils are an exception. A similar offer is not yet known in the Bundesliga. There have so far been no signals from the Premier League that they now want to make the Manchester example the league standard, adds Schneider: “It is often still a taboo topic, not everyone affected wants to deal with it offensively or publicly.” But: There is progress in other areas, for example with menstrual products or gender-neutral toilets.

Unisex toilets, for example, have been standard at all national team games in Germany for several months now following a DFB initiative. Clubs such as FC Schalke 04, Hertha BSC and VfL Wolfsburg also offer gender-neutral toilets in the first and second leagues, and the trend is increasing. At SC Freiburg and FC St. Pauli there are free hygiene products such as period products on match days. “There are individual stadiums that are further along than others,” says Daniela Wurbs from “KickIn!”, an advice center for inclusion in football. “Overall, however, how advanced the development is depends on the topic and partly on the budget.”

What is still missing in German stadiums

“KickIn!” has been working to break down barriers to stadium visits in Germany since 2017. For example, the organization advises clubs and stadium operators on how to make the stadium experience more inclusive. The work is supported by the DFL. One day we would like to offer a prize for the most inclusive stadium in Germany, says Wurbs. “Unfortunately, we are currently still very far away from our vision of an inclusive stadium in Germany.” One of the biggest construction issues from a “KickIn!” perspective remains that no thought is given to how the entire visit to the stadium can be designed so that everyone can participate equally everywhere.

What this specifically means: Although there are so-called “special solutions” at many locations, such as the men’s pads at Manchester United, “KickIn!” is missing. but still the holistic approach. So there is still work to be done; from the advice center’s point of view, a few care products here or gender-neutral toilets there are not enough. “But we are firmly convinced that we are on the right track and that football does not have to hide behind other areas of society,” says Thomas Schneider from the DFL.