FGR join Football Welcomes Campaign

Forest Green Rovers are joining football clubs across the country this month (April) to welcome refugees and
people seeking asylum, as part of Amnesty
International’s Football Welcomes campaign. 

Now in its fifth year, Football Welcomes celebrates the
contribution players from a refugee background make to the game, and highlights
the role football can play in bringing people together and creating
more welcoming communities for refugees. 

Football Welcomes this year coincides with the return of
grassroots sport as lockdown rules ease, which provides a much-needed
opportunity for people to reconnect with each other and their communities and
to improve mental and physical health. 

FGR is one of many clubs from across the
Premier League, English Football League, FA Women’s Super League, Championship
and National League, Cymru North and South, and grassroots
teams that have signed up to take part in Football
Welcomes. 

Some will organise a training session, a match
or Soccercise classes for refugees, some will incorporate learning
about refugee rights into their work in schools, while others will have first
team players warming up in Football Welcomes t-shirts and help to raise
awareness online. 

Naomi Westland, Movement Building Manager at
Amnesty International UK, said: 

“With the long-awaited return of outdoor
activities, we are excited to see the commitment from the footballing
community to come together and welcome refugees. 

“Clubs like Forest Green are at the heart of their communities and
football can be powerful force for good, bringing people together and a
providing a sense of purpose and belonging. For those who’ve fled conflict and
persecution and had to leave everything behind, this is incredibly important. 

“It’s heartening to see football clubs across the country
doing great work in their communities to show there is more that unites us than
divides us.”