Goal Click Partner With UN Refugee Agency to Show Incredible Photos and Stories From Football World
Goal Click and the UN Refugee Agency are launching a new photographic series entitled ‘Goal Click Refugees’ ahead of Refugee Week (15-21 June) and World Refugee Day (20 June), documenting the unique personal stories of refugees and asylum seekers around the world through football.
The pictures tell the story of playing football in refugee settlements, urban situations and in new host communities, spread across five continents.
Participants were given a disposable analogue camera to capture their lives in football, producing unfiltered photographs and stories from camps in Jordan, Kenya and South Sudan, to playing fields in London and Sydney.
Yida, South Sudan
“It is important to show boys and girls, young women and men. Although football is sometimes seen as male-dominated, girls are encouraged to be in the teams, to lead the football teams and one of the teams has a female goalkeeper. It is important to support gender equality to help change in South Sudan.”
“Around 60,000 people displaced from their homes by war live in Yida. Football allowed me to have many friends from different tribes and around the world. It brought me peace and unity with people.”
New York City, USA
“Passion for soccer has brought immigrants from different countries together and created a community. Since they are from different countries, they have learned something from each other, they start to think differently, and they are helping communities through social action projects.
“I’m from Haiti, where I discovered one of my biggest passions, which is soccer. I used to play soccer in the streets, futsal, and I had joined some clubs and played real soccer a few times with my friends. Sometimes with my friends we organized some street games with other neighbourhoods. In 2015 I moved to NYC with the hopes of finding a good soccer team, but when I came everyone played basketball. With determination in 2017 I found Rooklyn.”
Zaatari, Jordan
“Blumont students in the playgrounds of District 5. Blumont runs the UNHCR community centres. The students are refugees who attend the community activities. I tried to demonstrate the children’s suffering and represent their story.
“I am a football coach, I was playing back in Syria and I was a professional player. I started playing football with al-Shul’a football team in Syria in 2009. I left Daraa in Syria because of the war. I have been playing sport since I was a child, and because of that, sports are my life. I can’t even imagine my life without it. Football is a way that I am able to live a relatively normal life, to hope for a better future and to keep me motivated to train while living in a refugee camp.”
“My friends in the UEFA playground in District 9. I wanted to show that football can be played by everyone. The photos were during a football tournament in the camp. I did not play before I came to Jordan because of the war. In the beginning, I couldn’t develop my skills, but now I have. I love playing football. Football is everything in my life. I wish I could be a professional player. I dream of being a famous footballer.”
“Our girls’ football team in a Makani centre in Zaatari camp. I wanted to show our skills in football, the game that I find hope in for my future. They show the achievement of our goals.
“Some people in the camp believe that football is only for boys, and girls shouldn’t do it. But when I play football it raises my spirits and it reinforces my self-confidence. Because I am a girl, I can be the person that changes how the community perceives girls’ football and breaks the wall of shame. Football gives me strength and confidence and fitness. It establishes a daily routine to my life.
“My wish is to strengthen my skills in football, so I can achieve my dream and become a famous footballer, and to travel with my family and play football outside the camp.”
Middlesbrough, UK
“A little girl watching the football. I think it shows her passion for football. She is in such an awkward position holding herself up against the metal fence but is just excited and wants to watch the football no matter what. It was a football tournament in Middlesbrough during Refugee Week called the Justice First Football Tournament.”
“There was a real mixture of people in our weekly football sessions of different races and religions. In any one session there would be people from Africa, Iran, Syria and obviously England. The English people I met have all been very nice and welcoming to me. Football played a big role in my life as I got accustomed to my new surroundings of the UK and Middlesbrough in particular. I played each week with MFC Foundation and it helped me to meet new people, learn about my new surroundings and improve my English! The football club really made me feel welcome and part of the community.”
Sydney, Australia
“Team Congo during their quarter final clash as part of the African Cup tournament in 2018. The tournament sees Sydney and Australia’s African diaspora participate, bringing together people from diverse cultural, racial, religious and economic backgrounds. I tried to convey the pride, passion and intensity which these young African men hold not only towards the African Cup tournament, but also representing their homelands.”
Vienna, Austria
“I wanted to play football before I came to Austria, but I didn’t have a chance to play for security reasons and because men and women don’t have equal rights in my home country. When I play football, I forget about my problems. I think about winning and fun and feel no pain or troubles. I know that football has changed my life. Later I would like to study - I would like to get a further education and keep playing football.”
Turin, Italy
“Senza Frontiere FC is a football team formed by refugees and asylum seekers that practices all year and during the summer participates in ‘Balon Mundial – the World Cup of Migrant Communities’. Everybody has their own beautiful story. Football changed my life. Through football I met a lot of people, a lot of friends who helped me so much. Thanks to football I found a job and a lot of good people. I play with Italians and refugees. I like Italians, they are good at football, and I have a lot of very good friends here.”
Kakuma, Kenya
“Refugees are real people who can enjoy the same full rights as others regardless of their status. Football brings people together and thus creates coexistence and social interaction, it serves as the way for community mobilization and participation. I play football with Kenyans. Kenyans are good people with a good cultural background. They welcome everyone into their community.”
Athens, Greece
“These girls had suffered enough in their countries and on their way to Europe and they were still living under extremely difficult situations in a refugee camp in Greece. Many times they were facing danger during the night, many times there were a lot of fights in the camp. But despite what they had to deal with, they didn't give up on football. Everything around them was so hard but through football they were still happy.”
Mandjou, Cameroon
“The primary school of Bindia is a public school where students from refugee families are in majority. In the classrooms we have both Cameroonian and Central African children. And they play together during breaks. They also meet outside school as they live in the same areas and communities in Mandjou. In Mandjou the refugees are well integrated into the communities because many of them have developed businesses: selling cereals and vegetables, beef, and household products.”
“Many of them are refugees coming from Central African Republic, because Cameroon and Central African Republic are neighbours, and they migrate and are in the majority especially in the East region. Most of the children know how to play football because they used to play in their home country. Most of the children do not share their experiences and usually we do not try to make them tell their history. Instead we work to bring them joy, peace and hope through our programme. Although I noticed that many of the refugee children, when they were asked to draw something from their country, they often drew soldiers and airplanes, especially the boys.
“Every boy dreams to be Samuel Eto’o, but even if they won't be that, they enjoy the dreaming and the process of personal improvement, and the friendship that is built on the way to this dream.”
Koblenz, Germany
“Football is the only constant in our lives. It doesn't matter where you are from or what you've been through. There's always something you share with other people despite the differences. There's always a part of you seeking peace, love and normality.
“The local team TuS Koblenz, which is playing in 5th division in Germany, decided to form a team for the refugees who are living in Koblenz - to give them the chance to integrate into German society and establish a new life in Koblenz. The majority of the players are refugees who are living in a camp for asylum seekers – they are Syrian, Iranian, Afghani, Somalian, and Eritrean.”
Liverpool, UK
“In Liverpool I play with asylum seekers and refugees from Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, and Afghanistan. They fled due to war and conflicts in their countries. Listening to the challenges they have faced and gone through is so painful. Football is my life. Football is important because it is a universal language. It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from, your race, religion or skin colour.
“I was a professional footballer and played in the Kenyan Premier League for Muhoroni Youth FC. My dream is to become an international FIFA referee. I am part of the FA CORE (Centre of Refereeing Excellence) program. In two or three years I could be a Football League referee. I think I would be one of the first professional referees in the UK from a refugee background.”