Speaking of football in the community

ACFC youngsters to meet refugee challengers
Auckland City Football Club is getting the best of its under-20 side together to take on an “All Refs” side this Thursday.

The “All Refs” are a football team made up from refugees who live throughout Auckland. The team has built up quite a reputation and some its members have played at national level and internationally.

All Ref Walid Omar Hassani (18) has had his fair share of international games and also tried out for Manchester United in 2006. Similarly Mukhtar, who plays in the NZ under-17s, has taken on teams in America, Australia, Canada and Hong Kong.

The Auckland City team will be made up of Academy players and supported by noted Premier side members including ex All White Riki van Steeden and Takayuki Omi who played for the Japanese under-19 side.

Craig Edwards, general manager at Auckland City Football Club said that though the All Refs have a good side, ACFC have put together a tough team to beat.

“These players are the cream of our under 20s crop.” says Edwards.

This is a unique one off event which has largely come about because the Auckland football club is interested to see if they are able to tap into a new talent pool.

“The All Refs have a reputation for being a highly skilled team and this game is a great opportunity for ACFC to get to know more about the players,” says David Cooper of Malcolm Pacific. He and business partner Aussie Malcolm have helped the team members and many refugees by sponsoring team uniforms and fees as part of the Refugees as Survivors programme in Auckland.

The game is scheduled for 6pm on Thursday 25 November at ACFC’s Kiwitea Street ground in Sandringham. Entry is free to all wishing to attend.

Read more here:- Refugees as Survivors New Zealand

"The principle here is putting the supporters and the community at the centre of everything we do...

...[e]verbody who cares about the game thinks that there's something not quite right at the heart of it and something needs to be done." Andy Walsh, General Manager, FC United.

"'It's the message that was given out on live television...

...that in football it's the ordinary fans and how they want things to be that matters more than anything else.' [Andy Walsh, General Manager, FC United]...

...The Stretford End, the famous former terrace and locus of United's most passionate supporters, was renamed the West Stand and it's first tier filled with executive seats."

Read more here:- FC United: A punk football fairy tale by Julian Coman.

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