United Glasgow FC came about in 2011 because many of the young, male asylum seekers that came into the Unity Centre (a refugee support centre) were feeling isolated without access to employment, education and without families in Glasgow. We felt that we could provide access to sport as a means of helping to improve their physical and mental health. We soon realised that some of the barriers to sport, particularly around finances, hit young working-class people in Glasgow too and we decided that a team like ours could be a place for people to access sport without the prohibitive cost and also meet people who they might not otherwise have met.
We want to let people play football (refugees, asylum seekers) regardless of their financial situation, but also bring people together through football. It's an expensive task but we know it's definitely worthwhile. At a time like this, it is especially important that people can see each other as fellow footballers and human beings.
We don't ask where our players come from: they're footballers, that's all that matters. Of course, we find out eventually and we know we have had players from over 50 countries and from all over Glasgow and Scotland. With the nature of the team, people drift in and out but we think we have about 120 players across our various teams at the moment.
Football is a clear benefit to people, it helps both physical and mental health. The isolation and stress faced by asylum seekers and refugees can seem never-ending, so it's important to find something to help people to forget that. It's a great space to not be an 'asylum seeker' or 'refugee' but to be a footballer, even just for 90 minutes.
For more information visit unitedglasgowfc.eu
