Alyssa Chassman, 26, originally from Chicago, but now living in Camden, and her American colleague Seren Fryatt from Washington DC, developed the idea called Unite 2030, comprising of a 48-hour ‘hackathon of ideas’, where 20 multicultural teams discuss across the Internet what it means to have inclusion in football.
The ‘Pitch for Hope’ competition prizes were handed out in New York and Tel Aviv, where three Israeli youngsters, Idan Amos, Michael Shapira and Raveh Shahar Tirosh, came up with the idea of a line of shirts and scarves, featuring opposing teams’ logos, to draw rivals together.
Another five finalists in the UK section of the competition will be awarded their prizes on Wednesday. The winners from each country will present their projects at Stamford Bridge the following day together with Alyssa, and will then all attend the Chelsea versus Manchester United game on October 20.
The competition was launched after Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich backed a ‘Red Card To Antisemitism’ campaign earlier this year. The club has in the past been tainted by antisemitic chanting from fans.
Two years ago football fan Alyssa, who moved to London in 2014, launched The International Development House, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering young people from across the globe to take action on the problems facing the world.
She said: “It was great to win the award and the prize money will go towards developing the ‘hackathon’ programme. We learn from history and what we have learned is that powerful social shifts have been powered by grassroots efforts, by people standing up, being innovative and creative, creating disruptive solutions.
“We need to inspire the next generation of leaders, because when we empower young leaders, we empower the world.”
WJC chief executive and executive vice-president Robert Singer said: “The fight against racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism in sports is only just beginning and the road ahead is still long and challenging. We are very proud and honoured to be teaming up with Chelsea to effect real change in this arena, but we know that we need the energy, ambition and vision of young people to really make a difference.
“We wish the winners the best of luck in their endeavours and will be with you all along the way to help you turn our collective dream, a sports world free of hate, into reality.”
Football, especially in Europe, has been plagued by many instances of antisemitism and racism for years. Some groups of fans have led antisemitic chants, including making hissing noises to evoke the Nazi gas chambers. Others have targeted African and black players with monkey sounds, among other things. Ultra-nationalists and neo-Nazis have also played roles in supporter groups for various teams.
