World Cup football comes to Manchester as part of Refugee Month celebrations
11 June 2010
The World Cup will be presented in Manchester - the Manchester Refugee Football World Cup that is.
To mark Refugee Month which is running throughout the whole of June, teams of refugees and asylum seekers will be competing in their own cup competition, every Tuesday evening, culminating in the final on 29 June.
Organised by Manchester City Council, the players take on each other in mixed nation teams, from 8 June at Platt Lane complex in Fallowfield, jointly owned by the council and Manchester City Football Club.
All players will be mixed up and divided into new 'national' teams ranging from Algeria to the USA, and will compete in group stages, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, mirroring the FIFA World Cup.
The Manchester Refugee World Cup is just one of many events - most of them free - lined up over the next four weeks to mark Refugee Month including the spectacular Exodus Festival on Sunday 18 July in Manchester Town Hall and Albert Square, which offers a unique collaboration of arts and culture, music, dance, food, children's activities and workshops.
There will also be theatre performances at The Royal Exchange and at Manchester Cathedral, the latter by two-woman theatre company No Nonsense, presenting 'Ruth' a tale of two women who survive against all the odds.
All the month's activities provide a way for communities to celebrate Manchester's long and proud tradition of welcoming refugees from around the world and offering them safety, support and sanctuary.
Councillor Glynn Evans, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Adult Services, said: "Manchester has always been a welcoming city and is home to people from all corners of the globe who bring with them the richness and diversity of culture, talents, skills and enthusiasm that help make Manchester such a great place to live.
"We hope that people will join us in celebrating Refugee Month and acknowledge the many positive contributions that people who have sought refuge in our city make to our everyday lives."
