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The Hamilton Spectator: Aid flows for refugee team’s dream trip
Posted in: In the News by Kate Weersink on August 4, 2010
By: Jenni Dunning (The Hamilton Spectator, August 4, 2010)
They are so close they can almost see the field, the roaring crowd and their waiting teammates.
An outpouring of donations from every province in Canada has helped a Hamilton soccer team of refugees raise more than $13,000 in four days toward the trip of a lifetime.
Now, United FC is hoping with fingers crossed their travel visas arrive in time to make the trip tonight to a United Kingdom youth tournament.
“We’re going to play our hearts out when we get there,” said Larry Nasser, 19, from Ghana. “We’ll give 100 per cent for (the community).”
The team needed $10,000 for travel visas and new flights after eight players were denied travel rights last week. The other 10 players and a coach made it to England.
Nasser said support from people across Canada — all through donations between $50 and $1,000 — lifted the team’s spirits.
“To see the community react fast and try to help us — I’m feeling good right now,” he said.
The visa snag came after months of fundraising and taking out a loan to raise $40,000 to send 18 players and two coaches to London, England, for the tournament.
Officials originally said players with Canadian permanent resident cards did not need travel visas, said coach Leo Johnson. However, those players were denied travel.
The extra money raised beyond the $10,000 will help cover trip fees and repay the loan, he said.
Johnson planned to drive to Ottawa at 1:30 a.m. today, pick up the team’s visas, then drive to Toronto to meet the players for their flight.
He said the response to the team’s last-minute fundraising was so “incredible” its online donation system briefly crashed because it had so much traffic.
“It went way beyond my expectations,” he said.
“Just thank you. We’re just extremely grateful … from East Coast to West Coast.”
Johnson said a retired army veteran, who wanted to remain anonymous, called him from New Brunswick and offered to cover all the team’s costs if it came up short. He still donated $600 after Johnson told him the club had reached its goal.
The players who were left behind have missed playing two games, which the team lost, and watching an Arsenal FC match.
Technically, there are enough members in the U.K. to field a team, but there are no extra players to cover rests or injuries.
“It’s a half-team. They can’t do it by themselves,” said Yosef Belay Araya, 16, from Ethiopia.
“They’re doing their best. Even though we’re an ocean behind, we’re still United FC.”
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Read The Hamilton Spectator story here
