High praise for sports initiative

A local initiative using sport to bring multi-cultural communities together has been widely praised by an American academic who has travelled to Ennis to research the project and its ongoing success in promoting integration.

A local initiative using sport to bring multi-cultural communities together has been widely praised by an American academic who has travelled to Ennis to research the project and its ongoing success in promoting integration.
The Clare Intercultural Network’s Futsal League, which recently received a Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural award, is being explored by Travis Feezell, professor of sport management at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.
Dr Feezell visited Ennis last year, where he witnessed first hand the game of futsal being played in St Flannan’s College and he plans to continue his research, with more visits to the town planned for the future.
“I came to Ennis to study and understand futsal but in addition to this I left inspired by the power of the sport to shape and develop individuals and communities,” he said.
According to Alphonse Basogomba, coordinator of the Clare Intercultural Network, “In Clare Intercultural Network we believe that sport is one of the best tools to break down barriers and build bridges between people. We were delighted that Dr Feezell was interested in our network from a research perspective and his findings have verified our belief. It has been really interesting for us to see something such as sport analysed in the way it has been by Dr Feezell and see all the different layers and impacts that it has in communities.”
The professor became interested in Irish sport a number of years ago after travelling to Dublin and Donegal, as well as organising a student trip to Ireland. He explained, “One of the first things that struck me in my time viewing Irish games was how it differed so greatly from American sport. I would maintain that American sport is primarily about business; the orientation of sport in the United States is towards financial success, that is, how one might market and sell sport for consumption.
“Yet Irish sport struck me, it still strikes me actually, as having something more sincere in its purpose and its intention. It’s less about money and more about community, more particularly the power of sport to build communities. Of course, there is the club or the team or the league but what seems to me to be happening more deeply in Irish sport is the connection of individuals to one another through sport.”
He began looking for an Irish sport to explore and explain his thesis. After speaking to Des Tomlinson of the FAI, he was directed to Alphonse and the Clare Intercultural Network (CIN) in Ennis.
“I was told the CIN were in the process of creating an FAI-sponsored futsal league, which is now operating and called The Clare Intercultural Futsal League (CIFL). More importantly, this futsal league and accompanying activities were an intentional strategy to build “community” amongst Irish and non-Irish female and male residents in County Clare. I was able to view some training as well as learn the history of the program from Alphonse Basogomba, Daudi Kutta and other participants who had been at the forefront of organising the league.  It was indeed inspiring to see what the CIN had created since the first competitions in 2004. Those competitions grew to be a significant tournament as part of the CIN annual summer festival.”
He visited Ennis again to learn more, meeting Elaine D’Alton, the coordinator of the Clare Women’s Network (CWN) and some of the participants of the Women’s Futsal Program. The CWN are the collaborators with CIN on the Futsal women’s program, which was initiated by the Clare Sports Partnership, the FAI, the Clare Women’s Network, the Clare Immigrant Support Centre and Clare Intercultural Network at the beginning of 2011.
“The Women’s Futsal Program aims to become part of the Clare Intercultural Futsal League in the future. What a magnificent experience to talk with so many talented persons,” said Travis.
The current efforts of the CIN futsal program are directed at two particular areas. The first is the CIFL, affiliated to FAI and has six clubs participating.
“Having this FAI affiliation provides both identity and structure to the league but also allows for its champion club to move on to further competition at national and European level.  
“Beyond this competitive aspect, the league aims to assist in the integration and inclusion of non-native residents. Ennis is a thriving multicultural region, full of a great diversity of backgrounds, languages and traditions. In many ways, it is a smaller representation of a changing Ireland itself. Sport, in this case futsal, can help bridge the gap of understanding that so often occurs when diverse cultures meet. Sport is indeed a particularly powerful ‘universal language’ and ‘common ground’ to build a stronger community,” he said.
The second target area of the CIN futsal program is in collaboration with CWN and is directed at engaging the women of Ennis through futsal.
“Here, the outcomes are to assist in the development of healthy lifestyles as well as providing a meaningful connection for women from different background and nationalities to meet each other and be part of the wider support networks. 
“Futsal is a powerful tool; so powerful that when the participants in this program were offered alternative sporting activities, they opted for the more ‘team-focused’ futsal. These women welcomed the connection to team members through futsal and the explicit development of individual futsal skills.
“Once again, it is the greatest power of sport to unite communities and develop individuals,” he said.
Women’s indoor futsal takes place every Tuesday between 8pm and 9pm at St Flannan’s College, Ennis. All women over the age of 18 are welcome, including beginners.
Dr Feezell went on, “My intention is to continue my research with a return once or twice each year to understand better the effects of this futsal program as it grows and develops in the future. I hope to contribute with meaningful feedback from participants and the community at large so that the CIN, the Clare Women’s Network and others may continue to support this very effective and engaging program. 
“In the end, I am envious. Not only do I wish I could participate regularly in this program but perhaps wish even more that American sport could have a bit of the Irish spirit.
“I hope that CIN, CWN and other partners will in the future be able to develop more of this kind of program and this intercultural spirit born in Ennis will have a repercussion nationwide.”