Interfaith football match achieves goal of ‘bringing people together through sport’

Despite most people being consumed by the World Cup taking place on the other side of the pond, closer to home, Westmorland and Furness in Cumbria have held their inaugural multifaith, mixed-gender football match.

The match consisted of over 35 players from Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Quaker and Buddhist communities, as well as people of no faith.

Two of the players from the interfaith football match in Cumbria (Photo: Jonny Gios)[Missing Credit]

The friendly match between new teams Hope FC and Unity United resulted in a 10-6 victory for Hope FC, while also fulfilling its purpose of “bringing people together through sport, conversation and shared community”, said organiser Abigail Mann, from the Jewish community.

The match, proposed by Abigail, was a collaboration between Churches Together in Cumbria, the Westmorland Football Association, Furness Multicultural Community Forum and The Lakes School.

It marked the official signing of the Westmorland and Furness Council Faith Covenant a few days earlier, which re-emphasised the council’s commitment to improving interfaith relations.

Interfaith football match organisers Jonny Gios and Abigail Mann (Photo: Jonny Gios)[Missing Credit]

Rev Jonny Gios, co-organiser of the match and goalkeeper for Hope FC, said the covenant was “not simply a piece of paper, but a springboard for future events that build deeper relationships, strengthen unity and enable us to support our wider communities together”.

The Lakes School was a particularly fitting location for the match to take place, given its historical role of welcoming the arrival of the “Windermere children” in 1945 – 300 Jewish refugee child survivors of the Holocaust.

Interfaith football match in Cumbria (Photo: Jonny Gios)[Missing Credit]

Some of the Jewish members of the football team were the grandchildren of the Windermere children, whose involvement “served as a reminder of the area's proud history of welcoming and supporting people from diverse cultures, faiths and experiences”, said Abigail, who added: “In a world where many of us experience misunderstanding and prejudice, it was uplifting to witness the coming together of communities who respected each other’s beliefs.

“Through football, we brought together people who were comfortable in each other’s company and enabled them to meet like-minded people they may otherwise have never encountered.”

All the players signed the ball at the end of the match (Photo: Jonny Gios)[Missing Credit]

Peter Leonard, equality, diversity and inclusion lead at Westmorland County FA, said: “This event is a fantastic example of how the game can bring people together, build understanding and create lasting connections across our communities."

The organisers said they were keen for the football match to be the first of many interfaith sporting events across Westmorland and Furness, helping to break down social barriers between communities, and showing “exactly what can happen when people choose connection over division”.

To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.

Topics:

Interfaith football match achieves goal of ‘bringing people together through sport’

Topics:

Support the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper