Long-term Pitch Lease - Social Engagement & Individual Development
1
The Pitch
Problem statement
Our origins: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09pdw31 Afroscots Dreams Utd. FC was created predominantly for asylum-seeking/refugee, and migrant players in Glasgow. Asylum seekers are not permitted to work, study full-time, or access any publicly funded services in the UK, and this exacerbates mental health problems, and fosters feelings of isolation, desperation, and helplessness. Sunday games and training sessions gives these young men a sense of community, connectedness, fulfilment, purpose, and an escape from the difficulties they experience in their everyday lives. The team features players from 15 different countries, in Africa, South Asia, and Europe.
Solution
The goal is to continue to develop a squad with an average age of 22, and to promote our players to junior and semi-professional sides to enable them to reach their potential and progress with the sport. Several of our players aged under 21 have already been scouted and asked to register with their clubs to play in junior leagues in Scotland, such as the West of Scotland league. A long-term pitch lease and training equipment will enable us to provide a regular escape, social event and ability development for these young men. It costs £2,688 for a 6-month pitch lease, and the remaining funds would all be spent on training equipment for drills to be used throughout the year.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Our manager, Evariste, is a former refugee from DR Congo who has played at semi-pro level as well as managing a junior side in Saltcoats the past, and I work full-time with Glasgow-based charity Positive Action in Housing managing the UK-wide Room for Refugees project. Between us, we have both lived and work experience of the difficulties that asylum seekers and refugees face in the UK. We missed out on the league title in our first season finishing second, with the title race going to the final day of the season when we were defeated by the league champions. Since then our squad has grown, with more exciting ambitious young asylum seekers ready for the new league season.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Scotstoun Leisure Centre Long-term Pitch Lease | £2,688 |
| Training Equipment (Cones, First Aid, Bibs, Re-Usable Water Bottles, Kit Bags) | £312 |
Beneficiaries
25 people
Expected impact
Our project provides opportunities to young asylum-seeking and low-income minority ethnic players in Scotland, who do not experience equity of access. Five of our players have been snapped up by junior and semi-pro teams in the Greater Glasgow area by showcasing their talents in our weekly league games and social media video posts. The guarantee of weekly training will make a huge difference to the asylum seekers and minority ethnic players, both by providing them with an escape from the worries in their lives, and by giving them the opportunities to reach their potential and progress in their careers. We are moving into an amateur affiliated league (GDSFC) which will ensure increased exposure for our players, and club, enabling us to attract more players who fit our criteria, while developing and moving on the players we currently have within the squad. Involvement in our team will enable our asylum-seeking players to go on and become ambassadors within their local communities.
Track record
Our team’s members have grown immensely in the past 15 months since the team was formed, and myself and Evariste has seen them grow, mature, and develop as young men during that time. Two of our asylum-seeking players were victims of a knife attack at the Park Inn Hotel, used as Home Office accommodation for asylum seekers during the pandemic in June 2020. Being active members in the football team has been a huge part of their therapy and recovery from the trauma of that day. Our support for the young men within the group extends beyond football: I attended our goalkeeper’s home and cooked him his favourite Kenyan dish, and kept him company when he called me one evening and told me he was feeling suicidal Resolved a situation with one of our 17-year-old player’s half completed university applications, secured him a place in student accommodation, Humanitarian Scholarship funding (£7,680) to study English & Scots Law at Dundee Uni, and moved him and his belongings through.