Good sports

The plight of the 433 Afghan asylum seekers stranded aboard the Norwegian freighter Tampa and the ongoing spat between Britain and France over security at the Channel Tunnel entrance has highlighted the increasing difficulties faced by migrants throughout the world. The political wrangling which effectively scuppered the World Racism Conference in Durban, South Africa hasn’t helped matters in this regard either

In this country the issue is rarely off the front pages, with a constant flow of stories – usually negative – about maternity hospitals being flooded with third world expectant mothers and Romanian credit card fraudsters.

It’s not all bad news however. One organisation which has successfully brought people of all cultures and creeds together is Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI), who for the past five years have hosted an annual multi-cultural soccer festival in Dublin. The festival takes place this year on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd September in the grounds of the Law Society at Blackhall Place, Dublin.

“The thinking behind it is to use sport as a tool to bring people together,” explains Perry Ogden, one of the organisers of the event. “Soccer is a common language and one we all understand so it’s the perfect vehicle for getting people to come together in a spirit of friendly competition.”

The two-day football festival will feature over 40 seven-a-side teams drawn from ex-pats from around the world, including countries such as Somalia, Rwanda, Angola, Romania and Vietnam.

“We try and get a good mix of teams from all walks of society,” Ogden explains. “We’ve also got teams from the Gardai, yourselves in hotpress, the Travellers, the Refugee All Stars in Ennis and Monto – a Dublin north inner city team.”

The festival was initiated five years ago when a group of people shocked by the growing occurrence of racist incidences on the streets of Dublin, got together and decided to do something about it, as Ogden explains. “Things had got pretty bad,” he recalls. “People were getting abuse on the street, receiving threatening letters through their letter boxes, some being physically assaulted. There have been some harrowing incidents experienced by immigrants, many who have come here from war zones looking for safety. So we thought, let’s do something positive that will bring people together.”

Ogden, an English-born photographer, was previously involved in the making of the TV documentary of the Irish football team’s World Cup campaign. Entitled Who Need’s Pele? it portrayed the campaign from the Irish fans’ point of view. Ogden recently had the opportunity to photograph the legendary Brazilian footballer on an assignment for Arena magazine. “I asked him if he would mind if we used his image to promote the Sport Against Racism Festival and he agreed. So Pele appears on the promotional posters for this year’s festival.”

The event costs about £18,000 to stage and funds are raised on the day from selling burgers and drinks. Sponsorship comes from groups like Amnesty and the Dublin Brewing Co. “It’s not just about footbal. There are side-shows, barbecues, drinks and all kinds of entertainment. It’s meant to be a fun weekend,” says Perry.

For further information contact Frank Buckley, SARI, 135 Capel Street, Dublin 1.

Tel. 087-2445154.