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Fair Shot is a football-powered campaign supported by the Refugee Council and Sport Relief. It unites football fans across the UK, helping to promote fairness and compassion for everyone, regardless of background.
The Fair Shot FC team is made up of refugees from Afghanistan, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Namibia, Senegal, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, and The Gambia, all of whom have been brought together through their shared love of football and the positive impact it’s had on their lives
Watch Roman’s visit to Fair Shot FC here
Money raised by Sport Relief is funding organisations that are using the power of sport to change lives by helping to break down barriers, put roofs over heads, tackle hunger and support people with their mental health
For more information on how you can get involved with Sport Relief, visit comicrelief.com/sportrelief
Tuesday 24 September: Roman Kemp met Fair Shot FC, a football team who have been brought together as part a Fair Shot campaign, supported by Refugee Council and Sport Relief funding. The visit is featured in a film released today. During his visit, Roman joined the team, who is made up of refugees and people seeking asylum, to understand more about their experiences and how they have come together through their shared love of the beautiful game.
As part of the Fair Shot campaign, which is supported by Refugee Council and Sport Relief funding, Roman joined the team to enjoy a game of football before sitting down to chat about their experiences and the role the game has played in their lives. Some of those powerful conversations have been captured in a new film, available to watch here(opens in new window).
The Fair Shot FC squad is made up of players from Afghanistan, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Namibia, Senegal, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria and The Gambia. Each player on the team has fled their home countries due to conflict and/or persecution. They told Roman how Fair Shot FC has helped them all to find a safe space, and build friendships, through their shared love of football.
Roman listened to their personal experiences as they shared the pitch during a kickaround, and also reflected on his own personal experiences of using football to support his mental health during difficult times.
Roman Kemp said: “Visiting Fair Shot has been a truly powerful experience. Football has always been the one place I can always go to where I feel comfortable. When you’re on that pitch, it’s not about where anyone is from, or what their background is, because you are part of this community that’s out there playing together."
Roman added: “Hearing their stories and watching how the sport helps them find community after such difficult journeys was inspiring. It reminded me just how much football can bring people together, and I’m proud to support a project that’s making such a genuine impact."
Mohammed, a member of the Fair Shot FC team from Afghanistan said: “I started playing football when I was nine years old. I was born in a country where everything was difficult and one of the few things that made me feel powerful was football.I am so happy and thankful to be part of Fair Shot as it gives me the opportunity to play the game I love so much, make friends and have new and positive experiences here in the UK."
Liubov, Assistant Coach at Fair Shot FC from Ukraine said: “When you love something, you just feel it. Being here is great because I feel safe. It’s a great time for the players because when they’re here, they don’t think about anything else going on in their lives, they just smile and play.”
This season, Fair Shot has partnered with clubs across English football including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Preston North End. Throughout the season Fair Shot FC will travel the country to each of the partnered teams to take part in friendly 5-a-side matches and other challenges with fans of each club. The campaign aims to grow a football movement that unites fans all over the country towards a goal of fairness and compassion for all.
For over 25 years, Comic Relief has been committed to funding projects that provide safe shelter for marginalised communities. Money raised by this summer’s Sport Relief campaign is funding organisations that are using the power of sport to change lives by helping to break down barriers, put roofs over heads, tackle hunger and support people with their mental health.
To watch the full film of Roman’s visit to Fair Shot FC, visit Comic Relief’s YouTube channel here(opens in new window).
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a year-round fundraising campaign run by the charity, Comic Relief. Sport Relief harnesses the power of sport and entertainment to bring people together across the UK, to get active, have fun and raise life-changing funds. Since launching in 2002, Sport Relief has raised £420million so far, thanks to the generous British public, and supported millions of lives in the UK and around the world.
Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief. For more information about Sport Relief, please visit www.comicrelief.com/sportrelief(opens in new window) or follow @comicrelief on social media.
About Comic Relief
Comic Relief is a UK charity that uses the power of entertainment and popular culture to work towards a vision of a just world free from poverty. We raise money to support organisations that are closest to the communities who can make change happen. We support work that will tackle the impact of poverty, injustice, conflict, and climate change in the UK and around the world.
Since launching in 1985, we have raised over £1.6 billion thanks to the huge generosity and kindness of the public and our partners.
For more information on our work, visit www.comicrelief.com or follow @comicrelief on X(opens in new window) (formerly Twitter), Facebook(opens in new window), Instagram(opens in new window), LinkedIn(opens in new window) and TikTok(opens in new window) for the latest content and news.
Comic Relief is the operating name of Charity Projects, registered charity in England & Wales (326568) and Scotland (SC039730).
About Fair Shot
The Fair Shot campaign is supported by Refugee Council, a leading charity working with refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK including separated children. Find out more: www.fairshot.org.uk(opens in new window).
