A special soccer tournament will be held in Kilkenny’s Watershed sports complex this weekend in an effort to combat racism in sport and promote diversity in Kilkenny.
The tournament is an initiative of the Kilkenny Integration Forum, which was formed earlier this year in response to efforts to reach out to communities from other nations and foster a spirit of integration and interculturalism in the city and county.
The event will take place this Saturday, October 16, between 12pm and 3pm in support of National Social Inclusion Week, which aims to highlight how poverty and social exclusion can diminish people’s lives and opportunities and act as a barrier to social and economic development.
It also runs in conjunction with Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE ) week, which aims to eliminate racism from soccer as well as promote diversity through sport.
FARE week, which runs from October 14 to 26, is supported by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI ) and the office of the Minister of Integration in Ireland and UEFA at European level.
“We need to get the message out that discrimination of any sort, whether based on religious background, nationality or skin colour, is not acceptable on or off the pitch,” said Niamh Spratt of Kilkenny Recreation and Sports Partnership.
“Fans and footballers alike have a duty to promote this message. It’s vital that we set strong examples and leadership for our children, and FARE week is a great platform from which we can all unite against racism and celebrate diversity.”
Players at this weekend’s tournament will be sporting ‘show racism the red card’ wristbands as well as ‘unite against racism’ bibs and members of the public are strongly encouraged to show their support on the day.
The Kilkenny Integration Forum is one of 150 groups participating in the FARE initiative around Ireland.
