In a nice, warm spring day last year, AEGEE members were kicking a football around at the first day of Spring Agora Enschede. This will happen again this year in Spring Agora Rhein-Neckar with some more organisations ensuring to raise awareness about the fight against racism. The Sports Working Group (SWG) keeps working with Policy Officer on Social Inclusion Stephanie Müller on the matter in the hopes of increasing the interest of the topic time and time again.
In a network of 13,000 members, great ideas are created all the time. Recently, the Sports Working Group was approached by Spring Agora Rhein-Neckar organisers with the idea of organising a football tournament. The idea itself fitted the Sports Working Group in a great way, in connection to the fight against physical inactivity. The tournament was furthermore an open opportunity to show participants of the Agora what the SWG is working on. Thus some might have the opinion that a football game is something simple, and in many peoples’ eyes all that is needed is some players and a football. The question regarding why a Working Group was needed for the organisation was raised and the answer is likewise simple. The participants of an Agora differ in many ways. Boys, girls, fresh members, experienced members all with a wide range of different nationalities will be travelling to Mannheim next week. They are all invited to take part in A Game Of football against RAcism, in order get to know each other, get to know the Sports Working Group, and raise awareness about AEGEE saying no to racism in and outside of sports and AEGEE.
As mentioned in the intro, AEGEE members have enjoyed playing sports together before. It was even revealed to the SWG in the preperations for Rhein-Neckar that a similar football tournament was organised in connection with Spring Agora Maǧusa back in 2009. That event was described as wonderful and the SWG hopes that similar words will be associated with the game in Mannheim. Hopefully the sun will be shining on the active AEGEE members running on the grass field in Germany, and Stephanie as well as the SWG board have high expectations for the tournament.
Besides getting a closer introduction to what the Sports Working Group does on the European Level of AEGEE, the tournament also provides an opportunity for our Policy Officer to collect responses to her research work on racism. Participants will receive surveys on racism, and the main organiser Patricia Anthony (Secretary of the SWG) hopes that the tournament will also foster the discussion on what things can be organised within AEGEE in the fight against racism. Patricia cannot hide her enthusiam for the tournament when saying: “I genuninly hope that participants of the Agora enjoy this idea as much as we do in the SWG and will take part in the football game April 2nd. As I see it, it’s a great opportunity to have fun, contribute to the work on the European Level of AEGEE, and maybe even win some nice prices.”
Only time will tell the outcome of the tournament itself, but there is no doubt that this tournament is only one event set to happen in the Sports Working Group’s fight against racism in and outside sports in Europe.
Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København