Children in Care compete in six-a-side football tournament

A multi-cultural football tournament, hosted at Penydarren football club, was recently held as part of Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Organised by South Wales Police, in conjunction with the Merthyr Tydfil’s Community Cohesion Team, the event saw 16 teams of different nationalities compete in six-a-side football matches.

Merthyr Council’s 16+ team constructed a group which included four asylym-seeking children and three British citizen young people, all of whom are care experienced.

Steve Allen, from Merthyr Council’s 16+ Team commented: “I believe we were the youngest team entering the tournament as other teams seemed to be adult males. Initially, our team were a little anxious by the size difference; however, their confidence grew throughout the tournament and our team really held their own against the other teams.

“We played three games in total, the first we lost 4-1, the second we lost 3-1, but the third we drew 3-3. With the third match, we played South Wales Police and I strongly believe that if we had a minute or two more, we would have won that game as our team were playing really well. The referee and the Police football team commented on how well the 16+ Team played.

“It was a great day; our young people were full of smiles throughout and really enjoyed the experience. South Wales Police and all of the other teams who entered made us feel really welcome, offering positive encouragement to the team. We are now hoping to continue the football team and enter in other events.”