Football Unites, Racism Divides

“We are trying to break barriers in every way,” says Mehrun Ahmed, Co-Chief Executive Officer at FURD. “When people come together, we’re giving them a place for them to be themselves.” 

Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD) is a youth and social inclusion charity working with people in the local community to combat racism and bring people together. Situated at the U-Mix Centre in Lowfield, Sheffield, the team at FURD set out to challenge racism by using football to educate the community.  

Back in 1995, football at Bramall Lane, home of Sheffield United, was growing in popularity and bringing fans together to watch the matches. But unfortunately, alongside this came an increase in racial attacks against people in the community. Out of this, FURD was born; a group of keen football fans that wanted to stop racially charged incidents from happening during what should be a joyful pastime.  

Over the last 29 years, FURD has brought people together to learn, grow and bond over football training, as well as providing services such as employability support and support for refugees and asylum seekers. 

We sat down with Mehrun and Sijo Joseph, Project Manager at FURD, to learn more about the work they’re doing to support people in the community.  

Bringing people together through a love of football 

“FURD originated in 1996 as an awareness campaign and was officially founded as a registered organisation in 1999. I suggest starting with the concept of FURD belonging hub. Belonging has been a fundamental aspect of FURD for many years, and in 2023, we effectively evolved it into a project where everyone who comes experiences a strong sense of belonging,” Sijo tells us.   

“Football has been our main door for people to come in. Football was used as a tool, to connect with people, they come in, they connect with each other, they respect which countries they come from. 

“On a field you could see a person from Sudan, a person from Nigeria, a person from Afghanistan, a person from Pakistan all playing football together. That is a common language meaning people are able to break barriers.  

“So that’s been a general idea of FURD, it’s part of the ethos of the organisation, that’s how we’re connecting to people.” 

While football is one of the big draws for people coming to FURD, the team also offers additional support through other fitness classes, such as yoga, a community learning hub and support for people seeking sanctuary in Sheffield.  

“One of our major projects on Wednesdays is with people seeking sanctuary,” Sijo explains. “This was part of a research project that was conducted in 2017 looking at how people coming into this country for the first time would feel a sense of belonging and connecting with the local people.  

Football, food and friendship 

The team at FURD collects food through Tesco each week via the FareShare Go Programme. The food they receive is made into sandwiches and given out, alongside fruit, tea and coffee, to players following their matches. Anything left over is then put on display for people to choose and take away with them.  

Mehrun tells us:

“We get food every Tuesday. With Tesco, we get very good quality products. Lots of good quality fruit and vegetables, sometimes cakes. We recently got boxes and boxes of peppers and onions, and we’ve still got some in the fridge. 

“There’s a lot of women in the area that come in because we’ve got food here on Wednesdays. On average, we feed almost 60 people, so the food is really important. 

“I think lots of people have heard that we have this food on Wednesday. A woman came in at 9am this morning and I know that she is really struggling with finances. There’s another lady, she’s a single parent who lives not too far from here. She sends her son in on a Wednesday morning with a carrier bag on his way to school. 

“It’s nice that you can help people, there is need for people in the community. 

“In terms of meals, we do a full-fledged meal open for the public on Mondays. Our volunteers make a meal, usually homemade soup or fritters. Nothing gets wasted, any leftovers get frozen.” 

Sijo adds:

“Football, you know, brings people together, but food is probably the best tool in terms of creating a conversation. You know everybody loves food. And then out of that comes friendship. So that’s why we have this tagline: football, food and friendship. 

“FareShare’s support has helped FURD in our efforts to promote environmental sustainability by minimizing food waste. FURD, known for its community-centered approach, has a track record of tackling social challenges through sports, specifically football. Partnering with FareShare has allowed FURD to support environmental and food sustainability.” 

Summer activities at FURD 

During the summer months, FURD will be running additional activities for the local community, including a Eid festival, healthy holiday programme and Refugees Week celebrations. This summer, FURD will also be screening Euro 2024 matches for people to come along and watch with others.  

Sijo explains:

“We have Eid Fest which is run by volunteers and that’s one of our ways to connect to the community. We’ll also be having some Euro’s matches telecast for people to come and watch it.” 

The team has been supporting people in the community during Ramadan and Mehrun added:

“Ramadan is about having empathy for those who are less fortunate, performing acts of charity and strengthening community bonds. During this month of Ramadan, we continued to provide a safe and warm place for our participants to meet each other as many of them live in temporary accommodation across the city, we held a community Iftar (breaking of the fast), we provided food parcels and essential items for people to break their fasts. Additionally, for those who have been volunteering on FURD activities, we gifted them an Eid pamper pack. 

“The feedback we receive from providing these activities is overwhelmingly positive, with many saying that FURD has enabled them to feel a sense of belonging as well as an improvement in their wellbeing.” 

Supporting women and girls at FURD 

Ruth Johnson, women and girls football worker at FURD, has been part of the team for 28 years. Her current role centres around identifying the barriers faced by women and girls to playing football and working to remove them.  

A librarian with “a love of football and a dislike of racism”, Ruth had been keen to play when she was younger, but found opportunities at the time were limited. Through her work with FURD she spotted a chance to get back on the pitch herself and initially set up a session that was connected to an existing girls’ youth group. 

Fast forward some 12 years and the offering for girls and women of all ages at FURD is going from strength to strength. A regular weekly adults’ session is free to attend and runs on a “turn up and play” basis with around 20 players aged from 16 up. While the sessions are primarily for fun, it is hoped that there may be enough committed players to enter an 11-aside team in a local league next season. 

Older players, including several in their 60s, participate in a walking football group. This has proved to be especially popular with older women who had never had an opportunity to play football in their youth, so are taking on the challenge of stepping onto the pitch for the first time.  

At the other end of the scale, sessions for 5-11 year old girls have been running at FURD for the past year with plans to introduce a dedicated group for older girls and teenagers soon. Ruth says: “The majority of our youngest players are from ethnic minority backgrounds, including many from cultures where football has traditionally been seen as being only for boys. Our sessions only cost £1, because we want to make sure that as many girls as possible can attend and benefit from being part of our community.” 

Ruth says: “Many of the women who play here have found it hard to access clubs locally or even had negative experiences. Here they can meet and play football with people from a range of backgrounds, who they wouldn’t necessarily cross paths with otherwise.  

Players from BAME backgrounds come here and are pleasantly surprised to find they are not the only ones, while others who face challenges in their lives can come and forget about everything apart from the game. Many of these women are challenging stereotypes by coming to play football here and are real pioneers in their communities, so it’s great to be able to provide that opportunity. 

The sessions we run here are free and local, which is a major draw, but they are friendly and welcoming, so women can feel part of a community regardless of their background. We always have tea and biscuits after the session so we can chat and get to know each other.” 

Beyond the pitch, FURD also offers opportunities for some of the women to get into volunteering and even gain coaching qualifications, to help support the next generation of players. 

When it comes to the wider story of women’s football history, Ruth and some of the FURD volunteers have been involved in “The Stoppage Time Project” an exploration of the history of women’s football in Sheffield, particularly during the First World War.  

FURD’s Sheffield site is also home to an impressive mural, celebrating the historic 2022 victory of England’s Lionesses over Germany, further inspiration for the next wave of young players.