Over recent years, a small football group, in the heart of Clayhall, has grown into a community of over ‘150 members’ allowing the community to ‘gel’ under sincere leadership.
Organised by Samr Centre, a football session runs weekly on Fridays; it welcomes members of "all backgrounds" (says Rayhan who manages the group), creating new bonds within the community and new friendships.
The rounds kick off with players of all skill levels, from amateurs to ex-academy players, where they can each blow off steam, see their friends or meet new people.
The members are also from diverse religious, ethnic and social backgrounds, coming together to create a supportive and kind atmosphere where individuals feel safe and comfortable to be included in this wonderful initiative.
Although the matches are organised by and funded for by the mosque, the primary aim of the group is "to bring together everyone in the community" and so inclusivity is one of the key pillars of this programme.
One part of the future vision for this initiative is to scale it in collaboration with other "faith and non-faith groups" such as churches and community centres.
Yet, despite the current numbers, it all started with humble beginnings – with ten original members.
From there, it was the vision for a better future for the youth and an open and inclusive attitude that spread the initiative to the growing 150 members it has today - with a third of that playing weekly.
‘It all begins with a few people who have an idea and good intentions and, once people see the goodness in it, the initiative will naturally grow – says Rayhan from Samr Centre.
For myself, attending weekly, there is certainly a very palpable sense of community and friendship that drives the group: frequent and friendly banter keeps teams in fierce competition with the backdrop of discipline and punctuality advocated by the community leaders who seem to have a sincere interest in trying to subtly instil these values in the players.
In a beautiful world often marred with animosity and tension between different communities – it is truly inspiring and uplifting to see diversity, acceptance and unity embodied especially by the youth of our local area.
