Football and other sporting events are a great way to bring communities together during Refugee Week.
They create a common space in which different communities can encounter each other and can attract wide and diverse audiences. Here are as few examples of different football events…
Refugee World Cup - London
The Hammersmith and Fulham Refugee Forum organised a five a-side football tournament between local business and local refugee community teams. The local business teams publicised the event within their companies, raising awareness of Refugee Week amongst audiences that the forum may not necessarily have been able to reach. The teams attracted their own supporters to the event, creating a common space in which both host and refugee communities could meet each other.
Nations United 2007 - Dover
Organised in conjunction with Charlton Athletic, the Dover District Council, Migrant Helpline and Kent Fire and Rescue Service provided young people in Dover and surrounding areas the opportunity to compete in an ethnically diverse football tournament managed by Charlton Athletic. The teams were made up of young people from the Dover and surrounding areas and included refugee and British born players. The event attracted a diverse audience, including members of the public that only attended for the game, rather than the cause. But as the event also featured educational workshops on the subject of asylum and immigration, audience members naturally took an interest in the subject matter.
Intercultural Football – Coventry
The RSG organised very similar football event, inviting 8 host and refugee community teams to play against each other in a tournament. However, to further enhance this space of encounters, teams were made to ‘mix up’ with other, creating 8 truly multicultural teams in which refugee and host community players worked together to reach their common ‘goal’.
