#FOOTBALLPEOPLEWEEK 2020: DEMISTIFYING SPORT THAT THRIVES IN A CLASSIST & PATRIACHIAL SOCIETY

Looking at a disabled youth or child, what comes in everyone’s mind if not many is pity and imaginations of helplessness for life. But this should not be the case. The issue is the society and the values it holds for the most vulnerable people and groups.

What about gender and race?  For instance, do you know that capitalism and patriarchy have connived to determine what sport should be most popular and” fancy”?And most definitely, how much you should earn, what you should wear, and how you should express your rights and autonomy?

Considering such factors, there is a need to foster the social inclusion of children and youth with disabilities through sports. This must be done by applying Diversity & Inclusion lenses where children and youth are enabled to actively engage in sports with their fellow peers-non-disabled without fear and being stigmatized. Making sports activities inclusive in design can enable the disabled children and youth to participate meaningfully, fairly and safely.

Creating “special sports provisions” though has been in place for a long time reinforces discrimination between differently-abled” youth and children, hence attitudes among their “able” peers that “ disabled” children are “weak” and cant “play sport”

In a bid to promote and participate in a sport that fosters social inclusion Global Learning for Sustainability(GLS)  a women youth-led and Inclusive Organization is participating in  #footballpeopleweek2020 happening between 8th-22nd October 2020 globally, in collaboration with Fare network. The FARE Network is a group of football bodies, fan groups, minority groups and NGOs with a stated commitment to combating discrimination in football. Based in Europe Fare Network uses the power of the game to effect positive social change.

To demystify stereotypes around the participation of children/youth with disabilities, we visited one of the faith-based  Organizations in Kampala looking after vulnerable and disabled children.  “Waswa”, not his real names,- surprised us.” His one leg was amputated and at the same time has learning disorder(dyslexia) and yes his skill and passion at kicking and goal-keeping left us in wonder. We paired waswa a and his disabled colleague to play with their “able” colleagues and all we could see was friendship, fun and cohesion.

Speaking to one of the caretakers, he expressed regret that children with disabilities never participate in sport because of limited capacity in terms of resources and mentorship, coaching and counselling to involve them.” It is only “abled” children and youth growing in the foster home that are given an opportunity to go out and play sport whenever organized,” he adds.

Ms.Gorretti -the Executive Director of a University Disability Resource and Learning Center in Uganda,  expresses similar sentiments in my chat with her; "There are almost no special facilities for inclusive sports! Even for the available facilities, safety is ignored; they are not accessible! Budget allocations for disability sports are meagre...disability sports policies are lacking," she adds.

Similarly, there are pitfalls in the use of sport to promote gender equality. Worldwide sport does not indeed give opportunities for women and girls to demonstrate their skills, talents and to challenge gender stereotypes, and to show leadership. Most often women and girls who try to play and enjoy sport are ridiculed,nick-named rather than being celebrated as stars compared to their male counterparts-again another systemic barrier to women and girls participation in sport. The stereotypes are re-enforced that “girls can’t play football” and “ football is a male sport.”

Very few Female sports clubs are pronounced in our communities and if they exist they are not supported by businesses and Government agencies equitably. It is high time that we bring attention to issues of social and Gender Inclusion if we are to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich in society. Civil Society Organizations, Corporate businesses and sports Associations are key in achieving social inclusion and gender equality in sport and there are no better times such as this.

You can join the rest of the football people this month by following our events on

#Footballpeople

#gls20.

#disability&genderinclusion