Meet Esther: Finding connections in football

For new Volunteer Coordinator Esther, football has always been about more than the game. It’s about community, and  finding somewhere you belong.

With GCP’s  Route to Roots pilot project, co-designed and led with Life Seekers Aid just about to kick off, Esther couldn’t have joined us at a better time. She’ll be bringing together her experience in social inclusion and community engagement with her love of football to help bring refugees, asylum seekers and local communities together.

Esther’s background is in volunteer development, community engagement and social inclusion, and she has worked on projects across the UK and internationally.

“I've always loved working with people on grassroots projects that directly improve their local communities, and so getting involved at Globe Community Project is the perfect opportunity to do just that within my own local community, in the part of London where I grew up.”

She also loved getting to know the people behind Globe Community Project. 

“The people who volunteer at Globe Community Project are awesome. They have very different experiences, backgrounds and interests, but are all united by their motivation to help build a more supportive and connected Tower Hamlets.”

Esther has been a huge West Ham fan since she was tiny, going to games with her family. But despite always loving football, she didn’t have the chance to play herself until she was in her 20s.

After returning to London from university, she found Goal Diggers FC, a community welcoming women and non-binary people into football.

“Getting to play football genuinely changed my life, making it so much richer, happier and healthier. It made me determined to make sure that no-one else faces barriers to accessing sport.”

“I've seen first-hand the power sport has to bring communities together and create moments of joy for people who have often been through unimaginable traumas and now face confusing and impenetrable systems and social isolation.”

As an East Londoner herself, Route to Roots felt like a natural opportunity to bring that experience closer to home.

For Esther, one of football’s biggest strengths is being able to connect to others. 

“I know it sounds cliché, but football,  and most sports, is a universal language.”

It’s something she experienced herself while living abroad. When language was a barrier, talking about football often became a way to connect.

“When my patchy attempts at speaking the local language failed me, we'd often build a relationship through listing players and teams from one another's respective countries.”

And actually getting onto the pitch can take that connection even further.

“The joy and endorphins you get from running around, never mind scoring a goal, combined with the teamwork that it requires is such a brilliant way of bringing people together, helping everyone relax and ultimately have fun.”

At the heart of Route to Roots is a simple aim: for people to feel happier and more connected.

“The main aim of Route to Roots is for everyone, participants and volunteers, to leave feeling happy and connected. If everyone leaves having had one conversation that made them smile, that would be a great success.”

Those connections can also help refugees feel more welcomed and supported in their local community, whether that’s finding out about local services, asking questions or simply meeting new people.

Want to get involved? 

We’re always looking for more volunteers to help make a positive difference across Tower Hamlets.

If you’re interested in getting involved in Route to Roots or any of Globe Community Project’s other initiatives, email volunteers@globecommunityproject.org.uk