Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation invites refugees to football tournament

59 refugees living in Sussex were invited to a free football tournament organised by the BHAFC Foundation.

The day saw young refugee players come together to play football at the University of Brighton’s Falmer campus, which neighbours the American Express Stadium.

Players from all over the world were invited to the event, from countries including Afghanistan, Sudan, Morocco, and Syria.

During the course of the day the young players practiced drills and fun football skills, culminating in a football tournament, all guided by BHAFC Foundation coaches. The event was supported by American Express colleagues who volunteered their time to engage with the participants.

BHAFC Foundation worked together with the councils of East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton & Hove to invite refugees who may want to attend.

The BHAFC Foundation runs regular football sessions for refugees living in Brighton & Hove, and wanted to hold a bigger event for people living further afield. The aim of these sessions is to forge relationships, strengthen ties with the local community and give the participants more opportunities to socialise and engage with their peers.

As part of the activation, the BHAFC Foundation arranged the participants’ and their carers’ travel to the University of Brighton and provided them with a healthy lunch.

The tournament was the latest event in a long and successful partnership between the BHAFC Foundation and American Express, which has seen hundreds of Amex colleagues volunteer to support local communities over the years.

Lynsey Hermann, Head of Community Programmes at BHAFC Foundation, was pleased to see so many people attend.

"Today we held another amazing event bringing local refugees together for an afternoon.”

“Our coaches ran a really exciting football tournament for them and it looked like everyone had a great time.”

"I'd like to thank everyone who came and made this event such a success, including the colleagues from American Express who gave their time to support it."