Major football championships get UNISON input

by Kevin O'Neil

The highest profile Asian football tournament in the UK took place in Glasgow recently and UNISON Scotland played a major role.

The UK Asian Football Championships (UKAC) were established to showcase the talent of Asian players and breakdown the barriers for Asians in sports in general, while challenging racism, inequality, stereotypes and misconceptions at all levels of the game.

Asian football teams from across the UK competed for the eight places in the finals with one place reserved for a Scottish team - Semsa (Scotland) - as the host nation.

The final rounds were played at Glasgow Green's Football Centre and the final itself was played at Ibrox. London GSA beat Sporting Bengal in the final. UNISON Scotland sponsored an anti-racism workshop during the championships.

Aliyyah Balson, who works with us on anti-racist initiatives, delivered a successful training session along with Kevin O'Neill, UNISON Scotland's Information Development Officer. Our sponsorship included a donation for the event and kit for all players and coaching staff with promotional materials bearing the 'Many Cultures Working in UNISON' logo.

Pav Akhtar, UNISON's National Black Members' Officer, who attended the event, said; "I am proud that UNISON Scotland has taken this opportunity to endorse the UKAC and make a positive impact on an innovative concept that tackles several of our Union's core objectives.

"Not only did the tournament create a space to promote the success of Asian footballers while challenging their under-representation in mainstream leagues, it also allowed participants, many of whom are public sector workers, the chance to get involved in thought-provoking debates and workshops to understand why black workers must organise in the workplace."

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