Anti-Racism World Cup 2010

Anti Racism World Cup,
> c/o Kevin Hillick
> Sally Gardens Community Centre
> Belle Steele Road
> Belfast
> BT17 0PB
> antiracismworldcup@gmail.com

Launch of Anti-Racism World Cup 2010
Donegal Celtic FC 2pm March 23rd- All Welcome,

The Anti-Racism World Cup will take place again this year at Donegal Celtic FC in West Belfast from the 16th to the 18th of July. For the last three years teams have travelled from across the world to play against teams from various ethnic minority groups and from local communities in Belfast and across Ireland. Last year's tournament involved over 500 local people and 100 international guests and was a showcase for Anti-Racism against a backdrop of an upsurge of racist attacks in Belfast. This year we intend to bring more teams to Belfast, including for the first time a Palestinian youth team, and we intend to make the tournament the largest anti-racist event in Ireland in 2010.

Firstly we want to thank those organisations that gave us so much help and support in the run up to last years’ tournament. As I’m sure you already know it was a great success, not just in terms of the crowds taking part but also in terms of the impact locally. The Tournament and similar events, through bringing together people from different backgrounds, makes it harder for racists to fool people as to the real causes of the problems they face. Many of the young people from Belfast who play in the tournament are meeting and talking to political refugees for the very first time and it has had a lasting effect on many of them that they take back to their friends and families. Working class communities have enough REAL problems without phantom issues such as the colour of peoples' skin or the country they were born dividing us and diverting us from the real issues and who is responsible.

This year we have moved the Tournament forward from the usual date of the first weekend in August to coincide with the visit of FC United of Manchester (set up by supporters of Manchester Utd when the club was taken over by the Glazers) to Cliftonville. Supporters of FCUM have travelled over each year for the tournament and we wanted to keep up that link. Furthermore it was felt that others among the international guests would be keen to attend the match so overall we considered it a good idea to move the weekend.
On the Saturday afternoon we will be breaking earlier from the tournament and laying on coaches from DC to bring the teams to Cliftonville.

We hope your organisation would consider again supporting the ARWC in one or more of the following ways;

1) Attend our launch on 23rd March at Donegal Celtic at 2pm
2) To again promote the event through your organisation, email your members, run an advert in your newsletter
etc, maybe run an interview first on the launch?
3) Help us with ticket sales for the gig on the Saturday night?
4) Consider sending someone to our regular meetings
5) Become a sponsor of the ARWC and make a donation towards the costs of the Tournament.

Yours in Solidarity
Steve McCann
Chairperson – ARWC
More info phone 00353 86 406 1049


http://www.antiracismworldcup.com/