Sport is an international language and a great way of bringing people together. City of Sanctuary groups across the UK are helping to connect people to community sports. This is a win win because it supports the well-being of people seeking sanctuary especially when they are still stuck in the asylum process with no right to work. It forges friendship and solidarity. It can help break down fear and prejudice in the settled community and helps to grow the movement for welcome and inclusion.
We are working with football organisations to award clubs who are going the extra mile to connect and support. If you are a Football Club contact [email protected]
There are great examples of sports clubs enabling people seeking sanctuary to more fully participate. We have already awarded Brighton Table Tennis Club and Tongwynlais Football Club of Sanctuary.
We are still developing the Sports Stream of Sanctuary and plan to provide case studies and further resources. Please contact your Regional Coordinator if you are interested in this area.
Resources
Football – A shared sense of belonging? – Report from a research project carried out by Football Unites Racism Divides (FURD) in Sheffield.
Football and Refugees – An EU Project which has a range of helpful resources including “Who’s doing what”
A guide produced by the DFB in Germany for clubs to give guidance around working with refugees in football.
Sport for Development – a wide range of resources are available on this website linked to using sport to achieve development goals
Brighton Table Tennis Club – the UK’s first Table Tennis Club of Sanctuary – and an article about it in the Huffington Post
Rugby for Refugees Ellingham & Ringwood RFC Community Sponsorship project
Street Games – Integration of Refugees through Sport project
European Commission page on ‘Sports and Migrants’ including a list of activities and initiatives
Activity Pack Football Welcomes Refugees for Schools 7 – 14 year olds