Thanks to funding from the Premier League Charitable Fund’s Fans Fund, Stockport County is delivering a football programme for local asylum seekers.
As part of the club’s County Collective initiative – a scheme committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity – the Community Trust is offering weekly football sessions for young people aged between 8 and 16.
Members of the asylum seeker community can feel detached and isolated and may find it difficult to access other local football provision, and this project aims to help remove those barriers.
Staff from the Community Trust have already donated twenty pairs of pre-loved football boots to the group, which were worn with pride during a recent trip to Edgeley Park. The boys and girls were able to play football matches on the pitch, take penalties at the Cheadle End and lift the EFL League Two trophy.
Said the Trust’s Inclusion and Participation Manager Dan Landstrom: “We’re incredibly grateful to the Premier League Fans Fund for enabling us to deliver this project, which offers asylum seekers an inclusive and welcoming experience, free from any judgement or discrimination.
“The club is always keen to diversify its fan base, too, so we were happy to invite the group over to Edgeley Park to see the club at close quarters. One young person said it had ‘always been his dream’ to play in a football stadium, so it’s great that we can have that kind of impact.”
