Previously, fans were supplied with Radio Zenit's live matchday broadcast to accompany them throughout the match, however ordinary radio commentary doesn't give visually impaired supporters the fullest picture of the match and is not tailored to their needs. So this season we've employed Nikita Pavlov, professional football commentator to provide live the information so our visually impaired fans can experience the match to the max.

Alina Novozhilova, Zenit disabled access officer told us: “At the moment around 15 to 18 supporters take advantage of the service but we are open to more and invite fans to come along and try it out. The seating is located in Stand A sectors 102-103 to the left of our famous "fan-sector" where the noisiest fans sit and so the atmosphere is great and the seats very comfortable. Tickets can be provided through the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired as well as through the club and we will even help with transport, taking visually impaired fans to the stadium from Petrovskaya Square"

"At The Gazprom Arena guests are given special infrared headphones and our commentator has been specially trained for the role, he's also worked with cinema and theaters that provide audio-visual commentary for the blind as well as having lots of experience in radio commentary, including providing commentary at the 2018 World Cup," Alina told us. 

We asked commentator Nikita Pavlov for his comments; "commentators on the radio and especially on television do not explain the game and the events on the pitch in as much detail as a visually impaired person needs. For example, it is not enough for me to say Player A fouled Player B, I explain what exactly happened, Player A kicked Player B  high on his shin with his left foot, how the player fell, where the incident was and more. My task is to give as much description as possible so that everything becomes clear."

The original article comes from sport-connect.ru and is available here (in Russian)

If you are a disabled fan and want to come and watch a match, or want more information on Zenit’s services for fans with disabilities you can get in touch via the phone on +7 812 244-88-88  or e-mail on mgn@fc-zenit.ru.