July 10
While Andrew and Iris were at the Migrant Expo Festival, Nona, from partner organization Earth Diverse, connected them to Nora from the Hamilton Colombian Community Trust, a group that helps Latino migrants find their feet in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Nora told Andrew and Iris how crazy their boys are for football and pleaded with them to bring The Ball to their training on the following Monday. They said, ‘Sure – but only if girls play, too.’
The 20 young Colombians and Latinos who rallied to play Fairplay football that Monday evening – especially the boys — were quite keen to get their feet on one of the special futsal balls we use for our games. (The futsal balls, being heavier, are less likely to fly over the heads of less experienced players and into underdefended goals.) However, at first, they all seemed a bit reluctant.
When asked, “Who wants to play?”, all the boys put their hands up, but the girls were tentative. Iris said:
EVERYONE who wants to play, can play. Boys, girls, parents. I’m going to play, too.
Then, Andrew and Iris turned the music on. When they invited players onto the driest part of the sodden playground pitch they’d marked out for the game, the girls ran on, as well.
The session was a lovely family affair: boys and girls (some playing football for the first time ever) and even some dads played together while the mums supported from the sidelines. Colombian music favorites requested via Spotify and broadcasted through the Spirit of Football boom-box inspired extra fancy footwork .
Yes, the huge JBL speaker energising our game with music that evening has been a part of The Ball’s journey all the way around the world from Germany. And it has been so sooooo worth lugging it from place to place! For any aspiring Fairplay coaches out there, our team highly recommends using music at training sessions and allowing the participants to choose their own jams. Adding this DJ element to our games has worked in the most wonderful ways in workshops from the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan to this soggy playground in Kirikiriroa. Music, like football, connects and brings people together.
As the sun set, we could see that football had won again by drawing everyone in the game, proving that everyone can play. Smiles and high fives aplenty followed the final match, as well as signatures on The Ball. “Un Ballon, Un Mundo” could be heard echoing through the park as we said goodbye.
