Peterborough football tournament brings disparate communities and isolated individuals together

Not to be left out by what’s going on in Qatar, Peterborough hosted its own “mini World Cup” last Saturday (19 November). Conceived by the East Timorese Association Peterborough, the ETAP Cup at Gladstone Community Centre saw six teams representing 11 nationalities compete for the top honour.

This is the second time the Timorese community has organised a tournament of this kind. The first tournament was held in 2019 but, sadly, plans for subsequent tournaments had to be scrapped because of the COVID pandemic.

Celso Oliveira, the chairman of ETAP, told the Peterborough Telegraph why he decided to relaunch the community football tournament:

“I organised this tournament to bring people together,” he said, “to break down the isolation of the migrant people.”

Celso explained that it is often the case that migrant residents in the city often find themselves working manual labour jobs where long shifts and/or unsociable hours are the norm. He hoped the tournament would enable those individuals especially to “build friendships” and “improve their English conversation.”

The six teams were made up of Portuguese, Timorese, Brazilian, Pakistani, Sudanese, African, Congolese, Zimbabwean, British, Romanian and Indian players. After several qualifying rounds it was Tigers FC - a team of refugees and asylum-seekers - who lifted the coveted trophy.

Celso said the winners were “very happy and joyful.” He also added that all of the competitors enjoyed the tournament immensely. “They’ve asked me to organise another one,” he added.

Celso works as a part-time caseworker for Peterborough Asylum and Refugee Community Association (PARCA). The 51-year-old left his homeland for Portugal before eventually settling in the UK ten years ago. He was held as a political prisoner in East Timor for six months during the time of Indonesian occupation.

Though Celso is focused on helping people from his homeland start a new life in the UK, he is committed to aiding anyone in the “wider community who needs support.”

“I have a responsibility to help the community in this town,” he explained, “because Peterborough welcomes all migrant people and gives support.”