“The power and the passion of football is a great uniter”.
That was the message from former England footballer Rio Ferdinand on a visit to Sligo for what was described as a cross-border celebratory event.
“Beyond the Ball” is a partnership between the Rio Ferdinand Foundation (RFF) and the International Fund for Ireland (IFF) and today’s matchday experience event at The Showgrounds, home of Sligo Rovers, celebrated the impact of the project which began as a one-year pilot programme to build meaningful relationships between young people in counties Leitrim and Fermanagh in 2022.
Following the success of the pilot, it was agreed last year to extend the partnership programme to include a total of eight counties, north and south of the border, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Louth, Antrim, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Derry for a further two years.
The collaboration focuses on the power of sport to bring people together and, by putting young people at the heart of their communities, gives them a voice and facilitates opportunities for engagement and cooperation.
Those involved play soccer together and do accredited courses on leadership as well as workshops on a range of topics including confidence building, mental health and resilience.
They also engage with local agencies like An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland who were also represented in The Showgrounds today.
This afternoon Rio Ferdinand led a team of participants in the project onto the pitch to play another group of young people led out by local Westlife star Shane Filan in a friendly game highlighting the progress of the partnership in building engagement, friendships and confidence among young people, many of whom would not meet under ordinary circumstances.
Mr Ferdinand said that the project uses football as a vehicle to bridge those gaps and start conversations.
He said it really has been key and “we are seeing some really good inroads into that by having those conversations, utilising the love and the passion of football”.
“Passion is a great uniter, it unifies people, it brings people together from all different cultures so we play on that and long may it continue.”
“The energy that we have here has been first class,” he said, “and I don’t see that stopping. We will continue that and keep building on the successes we have had so far.”
Mr Ferdinand said you do not solve a problem that has been going on for years overnight. This is like small steps and continuous really hard work and we will get good results, he added.
Chair of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) Paddy Harte said sport is a powerful way of connecting people and bringing them together.
The IFI has been supporting peace building since 1986, he said, and making connections across the divides which become sustainable relationships.
So far about 1,000 young people have been involved in this particular project from all along the border, he added.
“We have young people mixing together and some very unlikely relationships have been built so it’s leading to a much better and much brighter future for young people and better employment opportunities as well.”
“The results have been superb,” Mr Harte said.
His words were backed up by some of the young people who have been involved in the programme which is one of the IFI’s most significant funding allocations in recent years with an overall investment of €628,850 (£541,713).
Phoebe Wallace, from Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh, said they have done so many things and it has really helped boost her confidence. She said she has met people she would never have met otherwise and 100% she will stay involved in the project as long as she can.
Megan Rooney, from Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim, said she heard about the project through her local club and has enjoyed training sessions with the participants from other counties and become friends with them.
She and the others also enjoyed a special trip to Manchester organised by the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and International Fund for Ireland.
The Manchester trip was mentioned too by Torry Sloan from Omagh in Co Tyrone. He has got a level one leadership qualification through the project and is working on his soccer coaching qualifications through “Beyond the Ball” also.
One of the added benefits for Torry is the fact that he gets days out of school and days away to places he has never been too before!
Amy Malone, from Leitrim, said it is a great project which has boosted her confidence through meeting new people and joining in all the activities on offer.
In terms of the peace-building at the core of the project, she said it is creating a new pathway for her generation.
“We are all learning about each other and we all get along, which is the great thing,” she added.
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