The overall aim of the SCORES project, developed by the Refugee Council in collaboration with the Football Foundation, is to increase participation of refugees in sport, particularly football. Through our experience working of with local refugee communities, it has been confirmed that the vast majority of refugee community organisations (RCOs) support large numbers of young people who either through perceived barriers, limited personal financial resources, low confidence or actual discriminatory practices, find it difficult to access mainstream sports opportunities.
Due to limited resources, RCOs also struggle to run organized sports activities to meet the needs of their communities, resulting in young refugees in particular, resorting to informal disparate groups playing “jumpers for goalposts” football around estates or parks. While funding from various sources may be available for community sports activities, the bureaucracy associated with making an application discourages applications from the established, let alone more transient refugee groups. Due to their reach and unique role in local communities, refugee community organisations are key partners in the project. This 3-year project will be delivered across the two regions of London and the West Midlands, which each have sizeable refugee communities.
In 2008, the Refugee Council was approached by the Football Foundation to become a strategic partner in addressing the barriers experienced by refugees in accessing sporting opportunities in the UK. The total budget for the 3-year project is £191,000. The Football Foundation is the main contributor to this exciting project however we still need to raise £42,000 as soon as possible to release a £132,000 grant from the Football Foundation.
If you are considering supporting this project please contact the Institutional Giving Team for more information.
Full proposals and budgets are available on request. For more information on any of these projects please contact the Institutional Giving Manager on 020 7346 1201 or email her at claire.tomkins@refugeecouncil.org.uk
