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Nothing has the power to break down barriers like the beautiful game.

Nothing has the ability to unite people of different nations, cultures and languages like the joy in football.

That truth is central to Boro backing a new project that puts the humble kickabout at the heart of inclusion work with refugees and asylum seekers.

The MFC Foundation has launched ‘Football Welcomes’ in partnership with Amnesty International to help give people fleeing terror and chaos a sense of stability and a foothold in what can be a very different environment.

Middlesbrough has been selected for a three-year pilot project using football as a means to create more welcoming communities.

“For people who are new to the town, new to the country and who don’t know the language and have no friends, football can be a great way to get to know people,” explained Paul South, the lead coach with the Foundation’s Football Welcomes programme.

“It gives people living in very difficult circumstances a positive focus.

“We have players here who have fled war-zones like Sudan, Eritrea, Syria and Yemen and who are looking for a bit of stability and normality as they try to rebuild their lives.

“While people are waiting on decisions about their status in the country they are not allowed to work and they need to be in the country six months before they can go into education.

“So football is something they can structure their lives around. It gives them something to look forward to.”

MFC Foundation offer weekly sessions at their Herlingshaw Centre base in Eston and stage games in Albert Park.

They have the facilities, football knowhow and the framework to deliver the coaching but the support of Amnesty International will help build a network of community groups and institutions to add an extra gear.

Naomi Westland, Amnesty’s UK’s Football Welcomes manager believes the Boro badge will give the scheme real cultural clout.

“We’re delighted to have Middlesbrough Football Club involved,” she said. “The MFC Foundation have been doing some really good work over the last few years and we saw the opportunity to really develop that, move it on and help them to work with other organisations across the community.

“The club is at the heart of the community and has a unique ability to bring people together through a love of the beautiful game.

“Football can give people a sense of belonging, on and off the pitch, and for people fleeing war, conflict and persecution, it can really help them to settle into a new country and culture.

“We are looking to develop into working with the County FA, fans’ groups, local organisations, schools, the university, businesses. Basically everybody has a role to play to make the community a welcoming place.

“And football is the perfect vehicle for that. The club - Boro - is probably the most visible and recognisable institution in the town and for people arriving from outside it may be the only thing they know about the town.

“So for the club to be actively involved in welcoming them is a really powerful message.

“It says to people who arrive they are welcome but it also tells other people in the community that this is where the football club stands.”

Foundation coach Paul, who has worked with asylum seekers for three years now, is delighted to have Amnesty onboard.

“We share common goals, share the same beliefs, ideals and principles,” he said. “It should help grow the project.”

Boro fan Paul was initially the health coordinator with the MFC Foundation working with community groups using football to get people fit.

“I helped organise a football festival as part of that with asylum seekers and local teams as a way of breaking down barriers and it started from there.

“From people dropping in for a kickabout it became more organised with weekly sessions and them wanting to play matches.

“We’ve got some really good players involved, lads who have played for their country or at a high level back home.

“We have already won a few tournaments. Aston Villa, Leicester, Liverpool and Doncaster have similar schemes and we’ve played them.

“We have had a lot compliments from people who have seen them play. Neil Maddison has seen a few sessions and he was impressed.”

It can be difficult to organise a team from a group who are in transit and who are liable to be moved on elsewhere in the UK or deported.

“We have a big turnover of players,” he said. “Middlesbrough is a dispersal area so we may have players who just settle in then they get a decision on their status.

“Even if they get leave to stay they may then move to another city where it is easier to find work or they have friends.”

The active backing of the Boro - the club and the players - has helped the Football Welcomes project flourish.

“The club do a tremendous amount to help,” said Paul. “They have donated kit and the players have been down to visit sessions.

“Britt Assombalonga has been down and delighted some of the players by talking their language. Jon Obi Mikel came last season. Mo Besic visited and he was a refugee himself.

“We’ve been to visit Hurworth and watched training there. Curtis Fleming took a training session when he was a coach with Boro.

“They have been brilliant with us. They have supported us every inch of the way.”

On the day the project was launched, midfielder Jonny Howson was on hand to watch a series of training activities and small sided games.

He is recovering from a hernia operation so couldn’t join in but gave the Foundation’s work the thumbs up.

“There are loads of nationalities and backgrounds all playing football and having fun and that’s great to see,” he said.

“That is what football can do. It can unite people and break down barriers.

“Some of these lads have come from terrible circumstances but regardless of their situations, it is good they can come and enjoy themselves and socialise like this.

“The work of the Foundation, not just this but all the different projects, are really important in the town.

“Speaking personally, I am always happy to do anything that I can to help out. And I know the other lads feel the same.

“The club is important in the town. The badge is important. It is something people recognise and it can bring people together.

“It is the important that the club give something back to the community that supports us.

“It is important for the lads to support things like this, things that maybe that we are not aware of in the community.”