Friday 18 March 2011

New teams confirmed for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011!

The final line-up for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 is starting to fall into place as four more teams have been added to the list of entrants.

Teams now confirmed are;

[caption id="attachment_92" align="alignleft" width="144" caption="Damascus University (Syria)"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="145" caption="University of Ghana"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_89" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Birzeit University (Palestine)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_100" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (France)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_93" align="alignright" width="150" caption="University of Helsinki (Finland)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_159" align="alignleft" width="138" caption="PaysandĂș Universitario (Uruguay)"][/caption]

 

Tuesday 15 March 2011

NUS backs Football Beyond Borders: London 2011


 


More great news for Football Beyond Borders, as the NUS has officially declared their support for the project.


International Students Officer Christina Yan Zang said the NUS were pleased to offer their support to the project, which she says;


"is a great development following your previously successful trips in both 2009 and 2010. From the planning and development you have already put in we are sure that this will be a fantastic event and provide a wonderful platform for football but more widely promoting cultural exchange and celebrating diversity.


With the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to London next year this project embodies the values of respect, excellence, friendship, courage, determination, inspiration and equality. This will prove a great opportunity to celebrate the global Games and provide an opportunity to inspire fellow students about the power of London 2012, especially given the global appeal of Football."

More good news to come soon, as the full line-up of participating teams is almost in place! In the meantime make sure to follow us on Twitter and 'Like' us on Facebook!

Thursday 10 March 2011

CARA and Para Siempre FC come on board Football Beyond Borders!


 


More great news for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 as the CARA (Council for Assisting Refugee Academics) comes on board the project, along with Para Siempre FC.


CARA was established in 1933 in response to the persecution of academics across Europe by fascist regimes. It was founded as the ‘Academic Assistance Council’ by leading figures such as Sir William Beveridge; Lord Rutherford; John Maynard Keynes; A V Hill, Lionel Robbins; and Margery Fry.

78 years on, CARA awards grants to enable refugee academics to achieve employment in the UK at a level commensurate with their skills and experience in the long term. Academics are frequent targets of state-sponsored violence and repression. In times of conflict, academics and intellectuals often suffer intimidation, torture, and imprisonment.  Grants can support refugee academics to re-qualify in a range of professions in the UK such as teaching, academia, engineering, law, the charity sector and medicine.

CARA has established a UK University Network of 66 Universities, in order to facilitate cooperation and collaboration between UK higher education institutions in support of refugee and threatened academics and in defence and promotion of academic and university freedoms worldwide.  SOAS has been a significant member of this initiative by means of a fellowship scheme and internship program.

CARA's mission is most definitely one in which everyone involved with Football Beyond Borders believes, and we are all thrilled to be working with such a prestigous organisation.

Para Siempre F.C., sponsored by CARA, comprises of academics, lecturers, postgraduates and undergraduates from an array of social and cultural backgrounds. Their aim is simple yet powerful; campaigning for the right of children to have an education. Para Siempre F.C. are using football as a universal language to promote sustainable education for those in the most impoverished regions of the world, to facilitate support for existing educational charities and maintain development through schemes of self-sufficiency.

Para Siempre F.C. is not just a football club. It is striving to create a different model of the traditional sports club. A football club with its’ foundations built on values of altruism and generosity, real sustainable change and essentially, improving the lives of the impoverished.

The values of Para Siempre tie in perfectly with those of Football Beyond Borders, and we are all thrilled to be working with such a great project.

CARA and Para Siempre FC will host one of the evening's discussions, based around how academics specifically serve as a catalyst to cross borders, and how football within universities does the same, but again full details of our partnership have yet to be finalised, so watch this space!

Make sure to check out http://academic-refugees.org for more information on CARA and http://www.parasiemprefc.co.uk/ for more information on Para Siempre.

 

Monday 7 March 2011

Elevation Networks teams up with Beyond Borders

www.elevationnetworks.org


Football Beyond Borders London 2011 is delighted to announce that they will be partnering with Elevation Networks for the International Universities Tournament this July.


Elevation Networks is a student-led enterprise who "aim to inspire, challenge, and positively influence a generation of young people into a belief system that challenges the impossible, overcomes barriers, and provides a gateway for aspirations to become tangible goals".


This aim fits in perfectly with the ethos, and we are understandably thrilled to be involed with such a great organisation.


Watch this space; more details on how Elevation Networks will be involved are coming soon!


In the meantime check out their website:


www.elevationnetworks.org


 

Thursday 3 March 2011

Carling Cup Final 2011

ULFC were privileged to perform the opening ceremony for Sunday's Carling Cup Final between Birmingham City and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

This video favours the Birmingham City lads, but I couldn't find one from the Arsenal end - I guess their fans haven't been in the mood to re-live the day just yet...