International breaks have always irritated me somewhat because I value club football much higher than international.
The way these international breaks take over several parts of the season makes it feel like momentum is being drained from my team at times. Don't even get me started on the injury issues Liverpool seem to have every time our players go away on international duty!
However, today feels very different. I have just read about a wonderful event that took place on Wednesday evening at Anfield when over 120 local refugees were invited to the stadium to play football on the famous pitch.
Liverpool FC's official charity organised the event, and invited the refugees to come along to a free Premier League Kicks session as a way of welcoming them to their new homes.
Community
As well as refugees, young people from the local area were also invited along to assist in integration into the local community. What a wonderful thing to take part in!
Here's what Tony Cosgrove, project leader at the LFC Foundation had to say:
"When kids are playing football, language, culture and background doesn’t matter, that’s why the sport is so invaluable when helping kids to socialise and integrate.
Today has been a fantastic experience for all involved, and we hope to see some of the young people from today coming along to our Kicks sessions in the future, where they can enjoy playing football in a fun, inclusive environment.”
Being displaced around the world must be a really traumatic experience for these young people. Welcoming refugees to the local area and showing them just how much we care about them is something I think more communities should be doing.
Jacob Vierra, a 22 year old from Kenya took part in the event and had this to say:
“I’m a fan of Liverpool Football Club, so this is an amazing experience for me. I’ve had lots of fun and hope to keep playing in the future.”
This has really got me thinking about how lucky I am to have never had to experienced these kinds of hardships. At the same time, it just goes to show that we can build communities on common interests. Football is all inclusive, and I have no doubt that this event has brought a smile to many faces.
I have to admit, I'd love to play at Anfield myself!
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