Dale’s refugee welcome is just ticket for charity
REFUGEES were given free tickets to Spotland as the Dale backed an Amnesty International drive to show how the beautiful game can help integration.
Fans from both Rochdale and Bradford were welcomed on Saturday as the two teams faced off in a crunch League One clash.
It was part of the human rights charity’s Football Welcomes campaign, which was backed by Premier League, the English Football League and the FA Women’s Super League clubs.
Rochdale AFC chief executive Russ Green said: “Our world can be a dangerous place to live, with violence and persecution prevalent in many war torn countries, resulting in people fleeing in fear to seek a place of refuge. “Here at Dale, through the excellent work of the club’s Community Trust, we have recently started engaging with the refugee and asylum-seeking community of Rochdale.
“It was apparent that there was no direct involvement or link to any sports activity or provider in the borough where adults, young people and children could go to participate in a friendly, welcoming and safe environment, while mixing with other members of the wider community. The Trust’s newly launched ‘Open Arms’ sports-based inclusion programme does all of that.
“Football is an international language, a common bond between nations, and we hope by running programmes such as this, and adding our support to the ‘Football Welcomes’ weekend of action, it
will help in some small way to raise awareness of the important role football clubs can play.”
James Mason, from Bradford City, said: “I was made aware of the work of Amnesty International by a school friend of mine Simon (Rix) who is the bass guitarist of the Kaiser Chiefs who are ambassadors for the organisation.
“As he knew I was involved with Bradford City we discussed the possibility of helping ahead of this coming weekend. As we were scheduled to be playing at Rochdale I gave my good friend Russ
(Green) a call to see if we could do something together such as the free tickets and thankfully he couldn’t be more supportive.
“Football is the perfect vehicle to highlight important issues and the work that Amnesty International do and I’m glad we can all help.” ●●Simon Rix from the Kaiser Chiefs joins Rochdale chief executive Russ Green and their Bradford counterpart join with Amnesty International to celebrate the Football Welcomes Initiative during the match between Rochdale and Bradford City at the Crown Oil Arena
Naomi Westland, Football Welcomes Manager at Amnesty International UK added: “We are delighted both Rochdale and Bradford City are taking part in Football Welcomes this year. With so
many clubs across the country participating, the message from football is clear - refugees are welcome in the UK.
“At a time when hatefilled rhetoric so often fills our newspapers and social media timelines, this shows that there is another story to be told.
“Violence and persecution around the world are forcing people to flee their homes and look for safety in communities elsewhere, and a small number make it to the UK. Football can give people a sense of purpose and belonging, and football clubs are at the heart of our towns and cities and have an
important role to play in welcoming refugees and helping to promote respect, understanding and integration.”