Changing Lives FC: The UK’s first migrant football team

SportSpiel

Changing Lives FC are a football team with a story.

Every training session, and during every game, you can hear around a dozen different languages – that’s because each member of the squad is a migrant, refugee or asylum seeker.

All of them have fled war, terror or they are in desperate search for a better life. They are all young men who would be extremely vulnerable if left to fend for themselves.

Joining us on this podcast is their manager David Simmons, a PE teacher living in Harlow, in Essex, who is also the founder of Changing Lives Community Services – a project dedicated to keeping vulnerable youngsters out of the hands of gangs and violence.

David is no stranger to extraordinary journeys – he was once threatened by a six-year-old with a knife, which is partly what motivated him to step up and make a difference.

But this football team has been a challenge like no other. Getting a group of players who don’t all speak the same language is difficult enough in itself but that’s made all the more harder by the discrimination that swirls them.

According to David, the team have been plagued by incidents of racist abuse and further discrimination from some opponents – he has even had to invest in a video camera he feels he needs to protect his players.

As David says – racism is still happening every Sunday, and it’s something that needs kicking out of the game.
*** NOTE ***
SportSpiel also approached the Harlow and District Football League for a response but received it after episode production had concluded. You can find the response below:
League secretary, Alvyn Charles, said: "I am deeply saddened to hear that Mr Simmons has made these comments about the racism his team has experienced.

"The two incidents that have been brought to my attention by Mr Simmons were deemed on both occasions to not be of a racist content. As HDFL is a multi-cultural league, if there were any forms of racism we instruct all teams that if/when it occurs we have procedures in place and always have informed the Essex FA who themselves would conduct their own investigation."

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Credits

Images: With thanks to Changing Lives FC
Music: Otis McDonald