The 16-25 year olds who come from Birmingham’s, Kingstanding and Aston area were led to victory by team manager Diane Sawyers who recently won a Kick It Out award for her 15 years of community work.
The Continental Stars Women’s Team was put together as part of a project from KIO’s anti racism and inclusion campaign in an effort to merge two of the cities most diverse communities, through the power of football which has proved very successful. Ethnic minorities in Aston make up 70% of the area's population whereas in neighbouring Kingstanding the figure is around 10%.
Continental Star FC Manager Lincoln Moses said, “The project has enabled us to unearth women footballers from both areas, offering everyone involved a chance to integrate with girls from completely different backgrounds, whilst enjoying the game they love. Professional coaching is also available and the girls get the chance to take part in weekly games.”
Two players from the women’s team, Vicky Greaves and Denise Lee each representing the different communities involved have already gained their FA Level 1 Coaching badges, whilst player/coach Lalona Watts was recently commended by the BBC for her contribution to the project and rewarded with a trip to Euro 2008 in Switzerland.
The team have already registered their first victory on the field with a 7-2 win, though Lincoln is keen that the club is just as successful off it.
Lincoln added, “We’re delighted by how well received the project has been so far. The power of football has allowed us to forge links between two quite different communities. It’s certainly a message not just to grassroots football, but projects of any kind from across the city, that sport can be a valuable tool to help unite people.”
Piara Powar, Kick It Out's director said “We are delighted to be supporting projects such as Continental Star, which strive to make genuine progress and contribute to their community in a positive and meaningful way.”
For further information on Kick It Out please visit www.kickitout.org.
For further information on Continental Star please visit www.continentalstarfc.co.uk