Northern Ireland Football Fans Crowned the Best in Europe!
I tifosi dell'Irlanda del Nord hanno vinto il premio Brussel International Supporters, istituito lo scorso anno per commemorare i 39 tifosi morti all'Heysel.
Questa sera, prima del match Irlanda del Nord-Spagna, il premio verrà consegnato alla Federazione nordirlandese.
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n Monaco, UEFA announced that the Brussels International Supporters Award 2006 is presented to Northern Irish supporters.
The award will be presented at 7.55pm tonight, before kick off of the match Northern Ireland v Spain.
Created in 2005 on the occasion of the homage made by the City of Brussels to the thirty-nine victims of the Heysel tragedy, with a concept thought by the communication and marketing agency Dialogic, the Brussels International Supporters Award was last year presented to the Spanish group Peña Multicolor for its fight against racism in the stadium of the small Andalusian town of El Ejido.
The prize had already been granted the support of large political and sporting organisations. Today, it benefits from the assistance of the European Commission and the European Parliament, the International Olympic Committee, Panathlon International, the International Committee for Fair Play and the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA), which has collaborated closely with the Dialogic agency in the organisation of the Brussels International Supporters Award 2006.
The philosophy of the award has not changed since last year. To return football to an atmosphere of festivity, it is first necessary to address the supporters who provide the ambiance in the stadiums. It is they who have to be convinced that conviviality and fraternity should prevail rather than fanaticism, racism and violence. The Brussels International Supporters Award was founded on the grand principles of sporting ethics. It encourages goodwill and rewards projects that go in the same direction.
Northern Ireland Football Fans Crowned the Best in Europe!
This year, the international jury has identified a particularly interesting initiative taken by the Northern Irish supporters who, through football, have made their contribution to tackling sectarianism in Northern Ireland, which has long been torn apart by the Troubles.
Created in 1998 by two fervent northern Irish supporters, Alex Steele and Gary Hancock, the “Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Football Supporters Clubs” co-ordinates the various clubs (60 clubs and 2500 members in total) that support the national team, within a structure that establishes formal contact between the fans and the Irish Football Association (IFA).
In the vast «Football for All»campaign conducted by the IFA, the Amalgamation has played and still plays a determinant role. The Association recognises that it is now appropriate to replicate in the Carnegie Premier League the excellent work performed by the supporters’ organisation.
In the name of the Amalgamation, Jim Rainey has actively fought sectarianism and every other form of fanaticism in and around the football grounds. In particular, he reserved 600 seats for matches of the national team at Windsor Park in order to create an ambiance in which sectarian chants had no place. Also, he volunteered to co-ordinate trips overseas for northern Irish supporters and became their spokesperson with the police and British Embassies abroad.
Finally, toiling in partnership with other fans, Jim Rainey mobilised the supporters in benevolent activities. Over the course of the last six years, he has been able to collect close to £80,000 for the benefit of various charities both home and abroad.
Since 2001, the Amalgamation has contributed to changing the supporter “culture” in Northern Ireland. Without question, the Amalgamation is a project by and for the supporters that takes account of the historical, cultural, social and political background of Northern Ireland.
For all these reasons, the organisers of the Brussels International Supporters Award are happy to award them the prize for 2006 at the Northern Ireland Vs Spain game on the 6 September at Windsor Park prior to kick off.
Source:
IrishFA >>