Sheffield 2018 - Back the Bid

Sheffield All Nations Football Tournament

Football fans and spectators in Sheffield joined forces in celebratory style at the annual ‘All Nations Football Tournament’ tournament, part of Refugee Week, to back the bid to host World Cup games in the city.

The event, organised by Football Unites Racism Divides, in partnership with Sheffield & Hallamshire FA, was held to celebrate the contribution refugees make to the UK with an open invitation for anyone to can play, aiming to bring people together through football.

Brian Peck, Head of Football Development for the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA said

“As the County FA we are responsible for providing football opportunities for everyone and we are proud to be able to encourage these players of all nationalities to play in a league together. We are very pleased that together with FURD we are able to host this annual event with the aim of encouraging more refugees to play football with the county.“

“The great thing about football is that it is an international language and instead of these teams playing on the streets, we are able to structure their games, provide referees and provide them with this great facility.”

The Sheffield event took place at the Goodwin Sports Centre, University of Sheffield and was the seventh annual tournament to be held in the city, as part of a countrywide programme of arts, cultural and educational events. The tournament included hundreds of players and supporters from teams across Sheffield, attracting teams from Kurdistan, Liberia, Bangladesh and Iraq to take part in the increasingly popular seven-a-side tournament.