Lincoln City Foundation hosted their inaugural Community World Cup at the LNER Stadium on Saturday 4 May with 18 different teams going head-to-head in a 6-a-side tournament.
The event was a great celebration of the diversity of the local area, with each team representing a different community.
Countries including East Timor, Nigeria, Ghana and Poland were all represented in a day which focused on bringing local individuals from various backgrounds together.
The day was made possible by the City of Lincoln Council Community Chest Fund which provided the funds to help stage this community event as well as the John Dawber Trust.
A group of organisations including Lincoln City Foundation, Lincoln City Football Club, the City of Lincoln Council, LEAN and the University of Lincoln were all integral to the event taking place.
Paul Carrick, neighbourhood manager at City of Lincoln Council said: “Supporting local projects and revitalising community groups is at the heart of the City of Lincoln Community Chest. By helping to fund events like the Community World Cup, we aim to improve life for local residents and create a sense of togetherness in the community. The Community World Cup, made possible thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, offered a great opportunity to unite people from diverse backgrounds through the universal language of football.
"Through the connections of LEAN and the City Council's Neighbourhood Teams with diverse communities, and the significant time they dedicated to organising, we were able to ensure representation from countries all over the world.
"The atmosphere and the football played clearly demonstrated the positive impact of such tournaments, providing a platform for different community groups, organisations, and members of society to bond and forge meaningful connections.
"We are thrilled to have been able to help fund the Community World Cup through our Community Chest and look forward to being involved in future events too.”
Daniel Carter, head of sport and physical activity at the Foundation, said: “The inaugural Community World Cup was a powerful display of unity and diversity, driven by the universal appeal of football.
“Through the vision of our community manager Kate O'Reilly, local residents and organisations come together to create other memorable events like this.
“As a whole Foundation, we're privileged to have supported and collaborated with other like-minded organisations to deliver such an impactful initiative.
“Looking ahead, we're committed to backing similar events that foster inclusivity and unity within our community, utilising the unique power of sport and involving new groups with Lincoln City Football Club."
A team representing the Arab community were the winners on the day after they defeated team Mosque in the final which was played on the LNER Stadium pitch.
Inam Ibrahim, a representative of the Arabic School for All and one of the key organisers of the event, expressed her delight at the success of the day, “The tournament has been brilliant - we have been waiting for this day for a long time.
“The main purpose of this event is to bring everyone together and unite the community. I want to say thank you to Lincoln City Foundation for doing an amazing job at uniting different communities not just today, but all the time.”
Lincoln City Foundation also utilised the Premier League Fans Fund to engage with these ethnically diverse groups who are often under-represented in the Imps’ fanbase, with the aim to improve cohesion within the community.
Teams from the University of Lincoln Women’s football society and the Lincolnshire Police force also took part in the event to show their support of the important community event.
The Lincs Police FC team manager Cal McDonald explained why he felt it vital that Lincolnshire Police participate, “For us it’s a fantastic opportunity to represent Lincolnshire Police and get involved with a lot of the communities that were present.
“Events like this give us the opportunity to engage with our diverse communities in a sociable way, building relationships across the groups which are represented in Lincolnshire. It’s great to show the people behind the badge.”
If you are interested in taking part in the next Community World Cup in 2025 then please email community@lincolncityfoundation.co.uk.
