IN THEIR most recent statement, City of Liverpool FC highlighted their role as a community-oriented football club, going as far as to say that, as things stand, they are more of a community organisation than a football club.

This side of their work has become increasingly difficult but also increasingly important during the past month. 

The most vulnerable people in communities across the country are more at risk, while also being more difficult to identify and reach out to during the coronavirus lockdown, but thanks to COLFC in the Community volunteers, support is still being provided.

One of the biggest struggles has been maintaining the same level of support to refugees in Liverpool, whose lives are unpredictable at the best of times and, in times of crisis, are one of the most vulnerable groups in society.

“When the initial lockdown was announced we had some very emotional phone calls with some of the organisations we work with who knew what lockdown would do to our participants,” says COLFC in the Community director Sean Lindblad.

“We have a high number of participants with poor mental health, particularly our refugee footballers, who felt isolated before all this started and will obviously be even more so now.

“Whether it was the lack of receiving a free meal every day, or the isolation and vulnerability that comes with being in lockdown, it is a really troubling time for community groups like ourselves who work at the grassroots level and treat each individual we help as a friend.”

Just as the football club decided it would move to protect its supporters, volunteers, players and staff by not playing games from March 14 onward, even when other matches still went ahead that weekend, the community arm of the club also made the difficult decision to suspend their own football activities.

This included the refugee football sessions which, though they are a fun game of football twice a week helping boost mental as well as physical well-being, have an underlying benefit of being an ideal way to identify those in need and look to help them going forward.

“It was a really difficult step to take because we have a large community of participants who depend on our sessions to keep fit, make friends and learn about life in Liverpool through a mutual love of football,” adds COLFC in the Community director Michael Meadows.

“As an organisation we care deeply about our refugee footballers and Get Fit Football participants, all of whom we have built strong bonds and friendships with. This played a large part in our ultimate decision: we simply couldn’t put them at risk.

“We were particularly struck by Boris Johnson’s statement which coldly reported, as fact, that ‘many loved ones will die.’

“Being an organisation which prides itself on creating a safe and inclusive environment for vulnerable members of our society, we knew it was our responsibility to ensure that none of our players were put at risk by continuing to run sessions unnecessarily.

“Quite simply, we weren’t prepared to lose any of our loved ones, despite what the government told us!”

The plight of refugees at this time was highlighted in Friday’s Morning Star, with Clare Moseley, the founder of British aid group Care4Calais, commenting that she had “never been more fearful for the [refugees] living here.”

Refugees across the world are facing a lack of clothing, education, and shelter — the latter being key to lowering the chances of contracting Covid-19, but Moseley added that “even those who do not get the virus could die for lack of life’s most basic necessities.”

The independent support services usually on hand to help as much as they can are now struggling to identify, locate, and assist refugees.

“We regularly have 30 refugees and asylum seekers participating in our Sunday sessions and many of these play in the only clothes or trainers they own,” adds Meadows. 

“Access to things we often take for granted like money, jobs and housing is a regular barrier they face and, naturally, this is a growing and legitimate concern during the pandemic.

“In the future, we will face the challenge of rebuilding participant numbers again across all of our sessions, but only when it is completely safe to resume. 

“Right now, we don’t know how many of our refugee participants will still reside in the city after the pandemic has ended, as in the past housing and accommodation has changed from city to city resulting in them being unable to continue to join us.”

One way COLFC in the Community is trying to keep in touch with the refugees is through a WhatsApp group originally set up to arrange and provide updates on those twice-weekly football sessions.

This group has become an even more valuable resource during this time and is now a point of contact for the volunteers and participants alike.

A handful have applied for roles at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, while information on other job opportunities, asylum support and food bank support is also being shared in the group.

This information will soon be supplemented by a redesign of the club’s website, making it easier for those with internet access to get the information and support they need.

“We are currently re-building our website and we hope to have valuable information on there, now and going forward, for people who may be struggling to cope,” adds Lindblad. 

“Whether that’s mentally, or with money or food worries, as an easy way to signpost people to the relevant services if we cannot help further.

“I’ve got to say though, watching how the volunteers and members of the club are all coming forward to offer their time to help with delivering our food parcels to vulnerable members of society is really heartening to see.”

The club’s volunteers continue to distribute food parcels across the city and will do so while funds last.

The Purple Pantry food union are still accepting donations via their gofundme page, the proceeds of which are going towards putting together the food parcels. 

You can donate by searching “Purple Pantry food drops” or by visiting this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/purple-pantry-local-food-emergency-drops