While many AEGEE members were spending their time green travelling with the destination Mannheim, the Sports Working Group (SWG) was hosting a football tournament for the ones already in the city.
The idea behind the active afternoon was not only to raise awareness about physical activity but also to inform members about the topic of racism in sports. In a collaborative project between the SWG and Policy Officer Stephanie Müller, Agora Rhein-Neckar was used to consult AEGEE members about racism.
At the time that the football tournament took place not many had arrived in Mannheim yet and a large part of the ones who were there were taking part in city tours. However, there was no need to call off the match since the motivation was there, so instead of being AEGEE members playing against each other, it turned out to be a little group of AEGEE members playing against some locals from Mannheim.
While the active representatives from our organization were sweating on the field under the summer sun, the rest cheered them along while also filling in surveys about racism in sports created by Stephanie Müller. Later on during the Agora the questionnaire was used again during the AEGEE fair and these are only the first steps in the research of AEGEE people’s opinion on the topic.
Back at the match the spectators saw a large number of goals being scored by the footballers, and in the end it was a victory on the field to the AEGEE team. Outside of the team the small but interesting event is also considered a victory. It proved raised awareness amongst our members about the connection between sport and racism and it also underlined that there is an interest in such sportive activities in our organization. There might not have been many people able to take part in the game, but many showed interest in the outcome, and the Sports Working Group has afterwards received numerous requests to repeat the event before Agora Zaragoza, in even larger dimensions.
Written by Patricia Anthony, Secretary of the Sports Working Group