Over the past few months, Aberdeen FC Community Trust has run a number of football activities in an effort to engage and welcome the Syrian refugees settling into the North East of Scotland, known as the Syrian Scots.

In partnership with the Aberdeenshire Council, AFC Community Trust ran two trial football sessions at the Garioch Sports Centre in Inverurie for refugees settling into the area. The aim of this was to provide rest bite for an hour or so, while also giving them a chance to see the local sports centre. In a press release, the Aberdeenshire Council stated:

“Aberdeen FC Community Trust has played a crucial role helping the young people to settle in by organising football and sports sessions.  These activities have given the young people pleasure, exercise and a normality they have not experienced for years”

Within the City of Aberdeen, a football session was hosted at the Aberdeen Sports Village, supported by Community Planning Aberdeen, with a view of bringing the refugees situated within the City and those in Aberdeenshire together through football. As well as this, they were given a tour and information on how they can access the sporting facility.

Aberdeen City Council Leader and Chairwoman of the Aberdeen Community Safety Partnership Councillor Jenny Laing said “Football is like a universal language which means that no matter where you come from in the world anyone can take part.
“These are families who have fled the conflict in Syria and it’s fantastic that AFCCT has devised this programme which will go a long way in welcoming them to our community and making them feel part of the community.
“We fully support this project and look forward to seeing it developed over the coming months as more ‘New Scots’ come to the North-east .”

Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre were central to the success of the programme who provided interpreters to assist in the running of the events. Where possible, participants were encouraged to speak in English to enhance their learning, however due to the very limited proficiency in the language an interpreter proved very useful.
As a progression to the initial work carried out, AFCCT are now working closely with Inverurie Academy. Football sessions are now included within the flexible timetables of those Syrian Scots attending the Academy, as well as their school buddies to further promote integration and socialising between pupils.

Discussing this work, AFC Community Trust Chief Executive Ally Prockter commented “Aberdeen FC Community Trust exists to provide support to local communities, and we feel that this is a group of people who will benefit from our support.
“Being forced from your home must be a traumatic experience, and AFCCT is happy to play its small part in supporting these families to settle in as quickly as possible to the North East of Scotland.
“I encourage everyone to sympathetically help out wherever possible to assist these families to establish a safe and happy home in Scotland.”

More recently, Syrian Scots from both the City and Aberdeenshire were invited to attend the Aberdeen vs Hearts Scottish Premiership match held at Pittodrie where our new Dons supporters could take in the match atmosphere for the first time. Harley Hamdani, Scottish FA Diversity & Inclusion Officer for AFC Community Trust, added:
“Historically, sport has often been used as a means of bringing people together and resolving conflict. It is fantastic that we can play our role in welcoming the Syrian Scots into Aberdeen and the surrounding area, using football as the tool for social integration.”