60 clubs from across the country including Celtic, Arsenal, Rangers and Tottenham are taking part in Amnesty International’s second Football Welcomes initiative to celebrate the impact that the refugees have made to the game. The campaign signifies the anniversary of the arrival of a group of children refugees from the Spanish Civil War back in 1937.
The campaign has already doubled in size since last year. This time there are twelve Premier League clubs involved, Newcastle and Southampton are providing tours of the stadium for the local refugees whilst Arsenal, Stoke, Everton and Watford are promoting their community work online and through their match programmes.
A local charity supported by Leicester put on weekly football sessions for the refugees providing them with free tickets to the games also. A short film is to be released by Crystal Palace’s foundation revealing their work with a young Afghan refugee. Meanwhile, Asylum seekers and refugees have been invited to training sessions from Huddersfield with free tickets to their next home game also.
Manager Naomi Westland of Amnesty UK’s Football Welcomes has said: “At a time when politics is often dominated by hate-filled and divisive rhetoric, this shows that there is another story to be told.”
Free tickets to local groups are being offered by Bath City and Leyton Orient with numerous EFL clubs being involved also. Shaun Harvey (chief executive of EFL) has said: “EFL clubs are at the heart of 72 communities across England and Wales and play a vital role in promoting integration, so I’m delighted to see so many showing their support and extending a warm welcome to refugees.”
In Norfolk there are 61 local schools participating in a Football Welcomes themed education day on Friday where normal lessons cancelled for 20,000 students. This is to educate the children on migration to the regions and roles football as a sport can play in integrating refugees.
The project contains questions directed to Mario Vrancic (midfielder for Norwich) for the purpose of a video interview where he can talk about his experience escaping the chaos in Balkan with his family. “It was clear the war in Bosnia was coming and we had to leave to find safety,” explained Vrancic, My entire family went to different countries. The hardest thing was leaving my grandparents behind and trying to start a new life in a new country (but) people here have been really friendly and helped me adapt to this city.”
Aside from the Premier League, tickets and stadium tours are being given away by Celtic and Rangers. There are several Women’s Super League teams are hosting refugee groups as well as Football Welcomes T-shirts being worn by Aston Villa Ladies, Bristol City Women and Everton ladies during their warm-ups.