On Tuesday 30th October, Durham FA and Young Asian Voices hosted a Football Tournament to celebrate Black History Month. 

Black History month runs throughout October and aims to celebrate the achievements of the African and Caribbean community in Britain, which is not well documented.

Durham FA also attended the Black History Month event at the Beacon of Light on Thursday 25^th October, which was attended by a variety of BME groups and the general public to promote the opportunities that the County FA can offer for people from all backgrounds to become involved in football. The day featured music, food and a fashion show to celebrate African and Caribbean Culture.

The tournament was hosted on the fantastic 3G pitches at Silksworth Sports Complex. 6 teams from a range of different black and minority ethnic groups took part in the tournament, with the aim to break down barriers and bring communities together.

Despite the low temperatures and frequent showers, spirits weren’t dampened and the tournament was played in a great atmosphere. There was some fantastic play and goals scored by all teams across the tournaments.

Former Sunderland AFC Captain Gary Bennett was in attendance and gave a short talk about Black History Month and presented medals to participants. Gary spoke about using tournaments such as this as a way to engage more players, coaches and referees from BME backgrounds to become involved in football in the County.

Thanks must go to Kamareswaradas Ramanathas, Project Manager at Young Asian Voices, for his work in organising the tournament.

Durham FA will be working closely with Young Asian Voices in the future to help provide opportunities for people from BME backgrounds to overcome barriers to football by supporting young people with opportunities to play, coach and referee.