– It is a huge success and another appreciation of the entire Polish football family. The UEFA award is also another proof that Poland and Poles can be proud of each other. We are perceived as an open, tolerant society willing to extend a helping hand to those who need and expect it. Etnoliga does it with the help of football, which makes me, as a person at the head of the Polish Football Association, doubly happy – says the president of the Polish Football Association Zbigniew Boniek.
Refugees, students, entrepreneurs play football …
Etnoliga is the most diverse football league in Poland. Africans, women, Chechens, fans Laws – they all play football together. Origin, skin color, religion, sex do not matter.
The idea of organizing a football tournament with the participation of Polish pupils and students as well as refugees from Chechnya and Africa came up in 2005 by Krzysztof Jarymowicz from the Foundation for Freedom. The Vietnamese soon joined the intercultural project, followed by other foreigners, the representation of the Jewish community and fans of the Legia from Bródno. Since 2010, the games are organized under the name “Etnoliga”. In spring they take place on a football field, in autumn in a sports hall in Praga.
Today, the Ethnoleague games gather several hundred people of different age and status: migrants, students, Poles, foreigners, refugees, entrepreneurs, and the homeless. The teams playing are mixed. There are no national teams, men and women play together. Points are earned not only for won matches, but also commitment and fair play attitude are rewarded.
Jarymowicz: “We are different and this is our strength”
– Etnoliga is primarily a platform for deepening contacts between diverse groups, always in the spirit of tolerance and fair play – says Krzysztof Jarymowicz, the coordinator of Etnoliga. – We play, have fun and learn from each other. We are different and this is our strength. Each person will find a place for themselves in an ethnoligic family. The UEFA award is a great honor for our entire community. I hope it will also be an impulse for other local clubs and organizations to use sport more often as a tool for social change – adds Jarymowicz.
UEFA Grassroots Awards have been awarded since 2010. It awards people, organizations and projects involved in pro-social and integrating activities. Usually, the winners collect the prizes from the UEFA authorities in Nyon. This time, due to the coronavirus epidemic, the celebrations were moved to the Internet.
This is another UEFA award for Polish football. Last year, the UEFA Executive Committee recognized AKS Zły as the best amateur club in Europe, and the bronze award in the best leader category went to coach Tomasz Wilman.
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