Limerick integration league a chance to ‘break out’ from walls around refugees

The Integration Through Football futsal tournament finished strong as teams from Limerick’s Direct Provision centres, local communities and other minority groups battled it out for the top prize at University of Limerick Sport Arena.

The aim of the league organised by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) in partnership with Limerick Sports Partnership, West Limerick Resources and Doras Luimni, is to encourage the integration of Limerick’s refugees and asylum seekers within their local community.

Mayor of Limerick City and County James Collins was on hand to present the winners of the six-week long tournament with their prizes.

“People, of all different grades and skills and abilities have been coming for the last couple of weeks,” he explained. “There’s a lot of commitment, there’s a lot of encouragement coming from the sidelines and it’s great for connecting people and doing it in a fun way.”

While the participants from the Direct Provision centres didn’t go home with a trophy, the main focus wasn’t on winning or losing, West Limerick Resources Project Development Officer Edward O’Shaughnessy said.

“That’s not the point,” he explained. “They are mixing, talking, reacting, laughing, burning energy and its all those things that you need for good mental health.

“It’s about socialisation, conversation, simple tasks in life, but if you’re not actually doing it, it can be a hugely daunting task,” Mr O’Shaughnessy, who provides employability training to residents at the Mount Trenchard centre, added.

Also in attendance was Sergeant Shane Davern from Henry Street Garda Station, who organised for a team of gardai from the station to take part in the integration programme. Sgt Davern said that the league gives refugees and asylum seekers the chance to break out “from the walls around them to a certain degree and I think it’s only important that they see the police force as being open, as being normal and that we are there to help them – that’s the idea behind it.”

Youssef, who is an asylum seeker and resident at Mount Trenchard, has been coming to the league every Friday for the past six weeks and said he has thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“I have really enjoyed it and I have learned so many things and met friends,” he explained.

“I would love to play again and meet other people and challenge each other to do something and spend time together,” he said.

Plans are underway for a second tournament on similar lines, with the hope that it will take place in February or March of next year.

Chinazo John Nnaya who is the main organiser of the tournament and is also a former asylum seeker currently studying to become a sports coach at LIT said he would like to see more local teams, businesses and partners getting involved in the next tournament.

“I’m really looking forward to the next time and to widen the network,” Mr Nnaya said of the programme that is funded by the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

He says he is proud of the level of integration achieved and was also pleased to say that two of the participants have been signed to local football clubs as a direct result of the league.

National Coordinator of the FAI Intercultural Football Programme Des Tomlinson said: “We are going to sit down and review with Chinazo and the partners involved and hopefully we are going to have a second series.”

Anyone who wishes to get involved in the second tournament can contact the FAI or Chinazo directly at chinazonnaya@yahoo.com to find out more.