Club Doncaster Foundation celebrates Football Welcomes Month this April

The month of April has seen football clubs and Club Community Organisations come together to celebrate Amnesty International’s Football Welcomes Month, which provides support to refugees and asylum seekers through the power of football.

Football Welcomes plays an important role in helping to settle people who have fled conflict and persecution, into a new culture, make new friends, learn the language and get to know the local area.

Here at the Foundation, as part of our wider Rovers4All provision, spanning a number of projects, weekly football sessions are available for refugees and asylum seekers to attend, to come together and meet new people, when they may be feeling at their most vulnerable.

Delivered over the course of the past 5 years, session attendances now have an average attendance of around 45 individuals. 

As part of the month long campaign, the Foundation hosted a staff v Rovers4All friendly football match, followed by a tournament towards the end of the month, with both Barnsley and Hull CCO’s attending with their own teams.

April also saw the Foundation host our first community Iftar event, with over 100 delegates attending to learn about Ramadan and the fasting process that many Muslims follow during this period.

Lynn Goodman, who heads up the refugee project, spoke of how the events throughout the month will have positively impacted those involved: “These participants turn up week in, week out, regardless of the weather or the time of year. 

“The sessions are a great opportunity for them to meet new people, form new friendships, all through the power of football. 

“They come from different backgrounds, but sharing the same passion, allows them to settle in and feel welcome and comfortable within the local area. 

“We’ve had a number of events take place throughout this month, which continues to give the participants opportunities to broaden their skills, gain new experiences and provide even more support. 

“It’s not only the football, its having the social interaction with the other players and staff here at the Foundation, it’s being able to have a purpose and something to look forward to throughout the week.”

Rob Hutchinson, who’s been a PCSO in Edlington in Doncaster, for almost 8 years, was in attendance at the football tournament: “We heard a bit about the event and thought it was just a good scheme that was running, a way to use football to pull everyone together, so we wanted to come and see what was going off and what it all involves. 

“It’s really good actually, seeing the amount of people down here. I was telling some of the guys that I absolutely love football, and it’s good to see football used in this way, that it can pull people from all over, together, for the common love of football. 

“It’s really good, and from a work perspective, it’s something that when we come across people from these backgrounds, it’s something that we can signpost them to and get them involved in. 

“I spoke to one of the participants and he was playing with both of his son’s, so there’s the massive social aspect to it aswell.”

For more information on the sessions available, please contact Lynn.goodman@clubdoncasterfoundation.co.uk