A Shared Sense of Belonging?

FURDPresents Football — A shared sense of belonging? Final Report on the Role of Football in the Lives of Refugees and Asylum Seekers DrChrisStone onbehalfofFootballUnites,RacismDivides(FURD) Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the funding provided by the Big Lottery Research Programme – a rare opportunity that allowed the academic gaze to be directed on and by the voluntary sector at that which they themselves considered to be of greatest import. It is a shame there is not further research funding in order to address issues raised by this investigation. Enormous thanks must go to the research participants, refugee support agencies and their staff without whom the research findings would not have had as much depth. Likewise a great debt of gratitude goes to Football Unites, Racism Divides and all who are involved with the organisation for welcoming me into the ‘FURD family’ with such warmth. Finally, a big thank you to Dr Steve Bradbury for his role as external evaluator, mentor and ‘critical friend’ to the project. The same goes for other individuals for their help and advice at various times during the course of the project, including Akoi Bazzie, Desbon Bushiri, Tchiyiwe Chihana, Sarah Eldridge, Paul Harvey, Katelyn McKeown, Jim Steinke, Rachel Westerby and Donna Woodhouse. To all involved, keep up the good work. Dr Chris Stone June 2013 Dr Chris Stone is a cultural sociologist whose previous research has focused on the embedded nature of football as a part of everyday life. He is affiliated with Sheffield Hallam University, teaching as an associate lecturer within the Academy of Sport & Physical Activity on Sports & Cultural Studies degree courses. He has been involved with a number of other research, evaluation and consultancy projects concerning sport, community and identity both locally and internationally including work done on behalf of The Football Foundation, Sheffield City Council, Positive Futures, Sheffield United Football Club and Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE). 2 Contents 04. Introduction 08. Background Belonging Method Case Study: FURD Football Citizenship Quiz Summary of Key Findings 17. RecreationalFootballParticipation Park Football Open Training Sessions Case Study: Group Belonging Informal 5-a-side Case Study: Football For Friendship Informal 11-a-side Case Study: Flexi Footie & Iraqi Forever Organised Tournaments Case Study: All Nations Tournament 40. CompetitiveFootballParticipation Refugee Teams Case Study: Tusaale FC Multicultural Teams Case Study: African Dream Team Case Study: Sharrow United (U21’s) ‘White’ Teams 58. ProfessionalFootballConsumption Talking Football Case Study: Conversation Clubbing Watching Football Case Study: Going to Bramall Lane Doing Football Case Study: An Arsenal Fan from Kurdistan 75. Conclusions,LimitationsandRecommendations Safe Spaces and Belonging Embodied Belongingness Mental Health and Self Concept Empowerment and Inclusion Hybridity, Multiculturalism and Group Belonging Cultural, Social and Physical Concept 3 Introduction AccordingtoArticle1ofThe1951United NationsConventionRelatingtotheStatus ofRefugees,arefugeeisdefinedas: “Anypersonwho…owingtowell-founded fearofbeingpersecutedforreasonsof race,religion,nationality,membershipofa particularsocialgrouporpoliticalopinion, isoutsidethecountryofhisnationalityand isunable,orowingtosuchfear,isunwilling toavailhimselfoftheprotectionofthat country;orwho,nothavinganationality andbeingoutsidethecountryofhisformer habitualresidenceasaresultofsuchevents, isunableor,owingtosuchfear,isunwilling toreturntoit.” 4 5 Successive ripples of migration into Britain during the past two decades, as a result of relaxing regulations within Europe as well as large scale conflicts in the Middle East, Central and Eastern Africa, along with political indecision and scaremongering in the mass media has changed the narrative that dominates popular understandings of who refugees are and why they are in this country. Asylumseekersarepresumedtobeliarsandseen asaburdentoBritainratherthanvictimsinneedof protection.Theiridentitieshavebecomeconflatedwith Muslimfundamentalismandeconomicmigrationfrom EasternEurope. In a report such as this which is aimed at an audience that may be unaware of such distinctions it is important to provide, by way of introduction, a brief outline of exactly which communities, groups and individuals this research is concerned with. Asylum seekers An asylum seeker in this country is a person who has left their country of origin and formally applied for asylum, for reasons stated in the UN convention quoted above, but whose application has not yet been concluded by the Home Office. Decisions to flee their country of origin are not taken lightly and the journeys that are embarked on are perilous and futures extremely uncertain. A refused asylum seeker is a person whose asylum application has not successfully met the Home Office criteria for claiming protection. Some refused asylum seekers voluntarily return home, others are forcibly returned. For many, despite not meeting the criteria for refugee status, it is not safe or practical for them to return until conditions in their country change and so will be given temporary leave to remain in this country. Refugees In the UK, a person is officially given refugee status when they have their claim for asylum accepted by the government. Refugees are initially granted leave to remain for a period of five years after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain. Refugees are entitled to work and have similar rights to other UK residents and citizens. Gateway Protection Programme The Gateway Protection programme is the UK’s contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) global resettlement programme. The majority of the world’s refugees who are fleeing persecution, violence and conflict are unable to travel far beyond the borders of their home country. They often live in refugee camps for years; many children have lived their entire lives in such camps. One of the ways in which the UNHCR seeks to assist such refugees is to offer resettlement to another country. 6 Sheffield was one of the first cities to welcome refugees through the Gateway Protection Programme, with a group of Liberians arriving in 2004. At the time of writing the Refugee Council has since supported refugees from Liberia, Burma, Congo, Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Bhutan. Groups of resettled refugees are supported for 12 months by a team of staff which includes project workers, community development workers and volunteer co-ordinators. Refugee Community Organisations Voluntary and community organisations play an important role in the reception of asylum seekers and integration of refugees in the UK. Many of these are led by refugees themselves and are crucial in ensuring that refugee communities have access to key services and support. They are often little more than an informal collectivity of refugees and asylum seekers who have come together to support one another and attempt to widen that assistance to other new arrivals. Such commitment is sometimes rewarded through the application of small grants that can help to formalise their existence as a group and financially assist their ability to widen their support. It is important to state that not all asylum seekers or refugees have the same issues. There are many differences based upon individual experiences before and since arriving in Britain as well as due to national cultures, class positions, education, gender, sexuality and exposure to English language and culture. The transitions that individuals undergo as they move through the system also have the effect of dramatically changing their relative positions. From seeking asylum and the relative hope it instils to being accepted, to becoming a refugee and entering more mainstream society at a much lower level than they may have been used to previously as they search for work and recognition or being refused and entering the appeals process with its unknown outcome. There is a big difference between a new arrival facing destitution because their claim for asylum has just been refused and someone who has been living as a refugee in this country for a number of years. Similarly, there is a big difference between being part of a relatively recent refugee community and that of more established migrant communities or the white majority. The rationale upon which this research is based is that in spite of such differences there are also commonalities that bring people together to create a shared sense of belonging. This report focuses on one specific aspect that may help in breaking down barriers by exploring the role of football in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers living in Sheffield. It is assumed that findings can be extrapolated to be relevant to organisations working in other towns and cities but certain fairly unique features of Sheffield should be noted. The city has historically been very supportive of refugee populations and is where the ‘City of Sanctuary’ movement was instigated. Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD) have had a very prominent role in challenging prejudice within the sport and promoting equal opportunities for ethnic minorities for the last two decades. That is not to say that similar organisations do not exist in other places but it may be that they do not have the same fortitude or longevity. Whilst the focus of the research is football and its role in helping to create a sense of belonging it is recognised

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