Football Supporters Europe continues to collect much-needed donations through its #secondfanshirt campaign.
Supporters donate team shirts, which are then sold on online, and the funds collected are then donated to fan-led campaigns welcoming refugees to Europe. This month the FSE Committee decided to make a contribution of 1000 Euros to “Football For All”.
Football For All is run by our friends from Yorkshire St Pauli. Its overall aim is to provide weekly football sessions that are friendly and inclusive in nature. The subsequent aim is to remove or substantially reduce the social and economic barriers that prevent people in the local community from accessing football. This is done with a focus on the refugee and asylum seeker community in Leeds and shall provide a safe and relaxed space where everyone is welcome to play football.
The initiative provides transport to and from the training venue and enough kit including shirts, shorts, boots and balls to cover those who are unable to provide their own. Furthermore the project covers the cost of pitch hire through £3 donations for those who can afford to provide a monetary contribution.
Football For All has grown to become an integral part of the local community in Leeds. It started in October 2014. Since then, the project has grown to 30-40 weekly participants with a diverse range of backgrounds, nationalities, genders and sexual orientations taking part.
Mark Doidge, the Director of FSE´s Anti-Discrimination Division (ADD) showed himself happy about the continued effort of football supporters to aid refugees and said: “Football For All shows what a group of dedicated football fans can do. It also shows how important grassroots football is for all of our communities and FSE is proud to support their great work”.