It was great that the Barnsley Chronicle ran an article on our Footy Tournament, not so great they failed to report who organised it! ever vigilant our ESOL team (namely Brian Clark) picked up on this and got this exellent letter published this week to set the record straight.

I would like to add to the article in the 29th January edition concerning  Jabber (Jimmy) Mohammed and the 5 a side football tournament which took place on 16thJanuary.  This event was unique because it was organised by two passionate football fans, Linda Hughes (Unite Union Learning Organiser) and Joe Rollin (Unite Industrial Organising Officer) as an anti-racist event and to show support for refugees and asylum seekers.  It was decided to organise using the title “Celebrating diversity through learning” and supported by Barnsley FC Community Trust, Learn with Unite, Achievement through sport, Professional Footballers Association, Union Learning Fund, Show Racism the Red Card and Barnsley Trades Union Council.    Following negotiations with Barnsley Football Club the tournament was held in their Training Academy and 16 teams were invited to take place.  The teams from Barnsley, Doncaster, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, London, Middlesbrough, and Sheffield were not all refugees or asylum seekers, but all anti racist.

The Barnsley team were people attending ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) lessons organised by Unite the Union held at Quaker House in conjunction with The British Red Cross.

At half time Kenny Barron Unite the Union’s Head of Lifelong Learning presented ESOL certificates and medals to the Barnsley ESOL Team and a free buffet was provided by the Professional Footballers Association.

 

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