"Football Belongs to Everyone" matches return to reception centres

Last summer, the Finnish Immigration Service and the Football Players Association of Finland (FPA), the representative organisation for football players in Finland, took the most popular sport in the world to reception centres to enrich the everyday lives of asylum seekers. The "Football Belongs to Everyone" tour was aimed at instructing asylum seekers on the secrets of football and to promote equality and justice at reception centres and in society in general.

The Finnish Immigration Service and the FPA wish to continue this cooperation and activity that proved both positive and beneficial. This summer, the Football Belongs to Everyone tour will continue at reception centres all over Finland.

Football is a very popular sport among asylum seekers, and last summer's football tour was received very enthusiastically. Furthermore, football is an exceptionally topical sport in the summer of 2014. That is when the 20th World Cup will be played, this time in Brazil.

More matches and local cooperation in summer 2014

The Football Belongs to Everyone activities will commence at all reception centres in May. This summer, more attention will be paid to practising and playing than before.

During May, a football school lasting one day will be arranged at every reception centre. The football school at each reception centre will be led by a top footballer from a team in the locality or the surrounding region.

The aim is that the player will continue this cooperation with the reception centre, and that 2–4 football school events will be arranged for residents of the reception centres during the rest of the summer.

The summer's football school activities are arranged collaboratively by the FPA, the local or regional football team and the reception centre.

– Last year's tour was such a positive experience for both the players and the Football Players Association that continuing it was a natural and easy decision to make. Now we are clearly focussing on the football itself because, after all, it was the most functional part of the whole project, says Tero Koskela, Coordination Manager of the Football Players Association.

Finland currently has 20 reception centres and 5 units for minor asylum seekers. In 2013, a total of 3 238 people sought asylum in Finland.

Tournament for reception centres at Sonera Stadium in Helsinki

In addition to football schools arranged at the reception centres, the programme this summer includes a championship tournament held between the reception centres.

The tournament will be held in the wonderful setting of Sonera Stadium on 4–5 June*. The tournament is arranged by the Helsinki reception centre, which won the tournament last year.

The patron for the championship tournament is the former Finland international Hannu Tihinen, who is currently the Head of Player Development at the Football Association of Finland.

Equipment donated by the Football Association of Finland

The Football Association of Finland supports the Football Belongs to Everyone activities at reception centres by donating equipment to them. The Football Association of Finland has signed a new sports equipment agreement with equipment manufacturer Nike and will donate all remaining equipment of the Adidas brand, its previous cooperation partner, to Finnish reception centres.

Show Racism the Red Card

For years, the Football Players Association, in cooperation with the Finnish Multicultural Sports Federation FIMU, has been involved in a campaign called Show Racism the Red Card. In practice, players and spectators together have given the red card to racism at various football matches. Now this cooperation has been joined by representatives from other sports as well.

– Among athletes, general equality and fairness as well as visible opposition to racism are matters of course, Koskela points out.

Further information for the media

• Executive Manager Markus Juhola, Football Players Association of Finland, tel. +358 50 596 0727, e-mail: markus@jpy.fi
• Senior Adviser Olli Snellman, Reception Unit, Finnish Immigration Service, tel. +358 295 430 431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi

* Edited 12 May 2014. The dates of the tournament have been corrected. The tournament is held on 4–5 June, and not on 5–6 June, as mentioned earlier.