Football United on I’ll Fight Day 2015

Salvation Army & Stepney FC play the beautiful game

Emdad Rahman

As part if I’ll Fight Day 2015, the Salvation Army Stepney and Stepney Football Club locked horns as both community groups came together to play fun-filled mixed matches with players of different ages and skill levels. I’ll Fight Day is an opportunity for young people to go out into their local communities to share love in practical ways, with no strings attached. A good start was made when cakes and sweets were distributed by the young people of the Salvation Army youth club in Stepney!

ALOVE UK is The Salvation Army for a new generation – an expression of The Salvation Army for young people and young adults. As The Salvation Army’s national youth office, participants and volunteers are responsible for the implementation of The Salvation Army’s national youth work strategy for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Staff work with young people (primarily aged 12-25), youth workers and youth focused services within and external to The Salvation Army. ALOVE UK is part of the “Programme Service” – a department of The Salvation Army’s national head office.

Captain Nick Coke, co-leader of the Salvation Army, Stepney said: “William Booth,  who founded The Salvation Army in Whitechapel 150 years ago this year, once said: ‘while there remains one dark soul without the life of God I’ll fight!’ The Stepney Salvation Army youth club took up the founder’s war cry with action in Stepney Green Park on Saturday.

“Being able to join with Stepney FC for an intergenerational football match was great fun! It was also a reminder that loving your neighbour involves building community relationships that will last and we can’t do that without getting out into the neighbourhood and meeting people! “The young people of Stepney FC and Salvation Army showed real community leadership in the way they interacted. The future belongs to such as these – adults take note!” “I thought it was a good idea to play this match,” said Yasna,10. “I was shy at first but as we played more I got used to my team mates and had fun. I thought mix teams was a good idea as it made us talk to new people we had just met. It’s just like what we have been doing all day in our community.” Parent Toz Ali added: “Playing with the Salvation Army was a great way to meet people from the community and build links. It was also an opportunity for me to find out more about the Salvation Army and the kind of work it does. This was all whilst having fun and losing a few calories!”

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