We've
had lots of people enjoying themselves and it's been played
in a really fun atmosphere. |
| Ayoob
"Ginge" Moolla |
Dozens
of football teams from various ethnic backgrounds in the Gloucester
area got together on Sunday (August 22 2004) at Gloucester Park
to compete in the first ever Community 6-a-side Tournament.
It
was organised by the Asian All Stars, and aimed to bring together
teams from the different cultures in the city.
Young
Guns
The
competition was eventually won by a team called Young Guns. They
beat Gloucester International in the final 2-0.
View
our photo gallery (19 pictures):
One
of the organisers, Ayoob "Ginge" Moolla, told BBC Gloucestershire
the event had been extremely successful.
"We've
had 20 teams enter and it's been a great succees. We've had lots
of people enjoying themselves and it's been played in a really fun
atmosphere", he said.
Ginge
went on to say that it had taken a lot of organisation to get the
event off the ground.
Very
helpful
"We
went down to Community Counts and they've been very helpful. They're
involved with the community around Gloucester in the Barton and
Tredworth, and White City areas.
"With
their help, and with the help of some of my colleagues, we've managed
to get teams from the Afro-Caribbean community, a team from GARAS
(Gloucestershire Association for Refugees and Asylum Seekers), quite
a few of the Asian teams, and also a team from White City representing
the English Community.
|
You've
got some teams that are purely here for the fun of it, and you've
got some who want to win it. |
| Clive
Wilkes |
The
event was funded with help from Community Counts, and various local
businesses.
The
former Premier League referee Cive Wilkes, who lives in Gloucestershire,
was invited to officiate at the tournament, and he told BBC Gloucestershire
he was impressed with the quality of football on display.
"There's
quite a mixture of standards. On the whole it's a good standard",
he said.
Good
mixture
"You've
got some teams that are purely here for the fun of it, and you've
got some who want to win it. It's quite a good mixture.
"There's
been one or two little incidents of foul play, but on the whole
it's been played in a really good spirit."
Clive
said he's starting to notice more young Asian players in the game
of football these days.
"I
do see more Asian lads around now, but it's taken them a long time
to get into the game," he said.
"Whether
their strengths are in other areas such as cricket or squash, I
don't know, but I do see them starting to creep more into football
now.
Skillful
"They're
very skillful. Maybe in another few years we'll see a few more professionals."
And
Clive said that with a bit of luck there's no reason why some
of those stars can't come from Gloucestershire.
|
There
are one or two young lads here that with the right training
and the right help could well make the grade. |
| Clive
Wilkes |
"There
are one or two young lads here that with the right training and
the right help could well make the grade", he said.
"Whether
they've got the committment to make it, that's another thing."
View
our photo gallery (19 pictures):
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|
Teams
of footballers from different ethnic backgrounds gathered in Gloucester
for the first ever Community 6-a-side tournament.
