Our ‘Football For All’ project as it has become known is going from strength to strength. Our aim isn’t to win any trophies, it’s simply to have a kickabout in a friendly and uncompetitive environment that is welcoming and accessible to anyone. It’s also vital that the environment is both safe and inclusive. The project is well attended by our members, by PAFRAS service users, and other members of the general public who have heard about it on social media or through word of mouth and who have come down and joined in. It’s a real community affair, which is open to all and provides much more than simply a friendly kickabout of a football.

The anti-immigration and far-Right rhetoric that has underpinned major political events in the past year has seen the ‘normalisation’ of discrimination whether it be racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or other discriminatory factors. ‘Football For All’ is a project that seeks to undermine this discourse and, through football, provide a sense of belonging and community in a society that currently feels more divided than ever. We aim to show that compassion, hope, understanding and solidarity trumps hate, ignorance and division and that another society is possible.