Brest - 14 May 2024

Arkéa Park, the future home of Stade Brestois 29 football club, to which Crédit Mutuel Arkéa will lend its name, will be a showcase for inclusion and universal accessibility. The announcement was made by Gérard and Denis Le Saint, co-Chairmen of Stade Brestois 29, at a press conference on 14 May.

Arkéa Park  will be 100% accessible and welcoming for people with all kinds of disabilities.
The project sponsors have expressed their desire to go beyond the regulatory requirements to offer a fluid, comfortable and high-quality experience to all visitors and spectators with disabilities.

The principles of universal accessibility were incorporated very early on, right from the architect's plans. For example, the forecourt will provide level access to the stands, without any steps. Particular attention will be paid to interior and exterior fittings, signage, access to the various services (indoor leisure facilities, gourmet hall, etc.) and the transmission of matches.

A ‘Disability’ committee made up of experts and local players - Association des Paralysés de France (APF), Handisport Brest, Comité Départemental du Sport Adapté - has been working for nearly a year to put forward proposals on these issues.

Some of these proposals had already been taken into account by the project team, for example :

• Instead of being restricted to a specific area, wheelchair users will have reserved seats, offering comfort and visibility in all the stands, among the other spectators. Those accompanying them will be able to sit alongside them - which is not the case today at Francis-Le Blé.
  A ‘Snozelen’ room will be dedicated to people with mental health problems who want to watch the match in a calm atmosphere (subdued lighting, subdued noise).
• Other proposals are still under consideration. An ‘accessibility action plan’ based on these proposals will be unveiled in the first quarter of 2025.

Promoting professional integration

Arkéa Park will contribute to the employment of people with disabilities through a number of initiatives. The company operating the site will give priority to hiring workers with disabilities. When it needs to call on external services (cleaning, landscaping, etc.), it will give preference to specialised employment/disability structures, such as ESATs.

Every year, a job dating event dedicated to candidates with disabilities will be organised in Arkéa Park. Stade Brestois' 600 partner companies will be invited to take part.

Finally, the site could host remarkable and inspiring initiatives for the professional integration of people with disabilities (companies, catering chains, etc.).

‘Disability is a cause that has always been close to our hearts. Making it the major cause of the future Arkéa Park is a desire we share with our ‘title partner’ Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and with the local authorities involved in the project. With five months to go until the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, we are very proud to unveil these unprecedented initiatives for a Premier League stadium, which help to put sport at the service of inclusion and change the way people look at disability.’
Gérard and Denis LE SAINT, Arkéa Park project sponsors

‘Ever since the Arkéa Park project was launched, Denis and Gérard Le Saint and our local authority partners have shared the same ambition and the same conviction. We want Arkéa Park to be a new place to live, accessible to all, open to the community, serving the public interest and promoting solidarity. We want Arkéa Park to be a national benchmark for inclusion. We want it to facilitate access to the stadium for people with visible or invisible disabilities, and to promote adapted sport and the integration of disabled people into the world of work. Arkéa Park will be an extension of the initiatives we are deploying within Crédit Mutuel Arkéa to optimise the working conditions of our employees and develop the accessibility of our services for our members and customers. Promoting inclusion is at the heart of our HR policy and our Solidarités initiatives. Once again this year, disability will be one of our major themes for action. It's a choice voted for by the members of our Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne and Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest federations at the recent general meetings of the local mutuals.

Julien Carmona, Chairman of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne