Traveller/Roma Soccer

Traveller/Roma 2002 Soccer Round-up

On the 9th of December 2002 Haringey Travellers United played Hammersmith All-Roma in a series of epic nail biting closely fought five and seven aside soccer encounters at the indoor sports complex in Broadwater Farm Tottenham North London. The Roma and Travelling boys taking part were between 11 and 16 years of age and were divided into age appropriate teams.

Hammersmith All-Roma are a polished Polish Roma side based in West London. These Roma lads attend Henry Compton School for boys in Hammersmith and are managed by Valdemar Kalinin and coached by Errol Whistey

Haringey Travellers United are primarily an Irish Traveller side composed of Travellers who live on site or in houses in Haringey North London. This side is managed by Michael Ridge and Patrick Webb from Haringey Traveller Community Social Work Team and Gordon Calliste from The London Gypsy and Traveller Unit, and Dairmuid Doolan from Haringey Traveller Education Support Service.

Dairmuid Doolan put in two years of first class soccer coaching work, sadly this was his last match, as he is moving to Ireland, and will not be replaced, so in the future Haringey Traveller United will be managed by Haringey Community Social Work Team and The London Gypsy Traveller Unit.

On the day Haringey Travellers United emerged as the victors in a series of closely fought five and seven a side matches. Hammersmith All-Roma fought each match to the final whistle, putting in some excellent team performances, indeed their first class teamwork and superb team spirit will surely secure many victories for Hammersmith All-Roma in forth-coming fixtures. Hammersmith All-Roma and Haringey Travellers United eagerly look forward to return fixtures in 2003.

Haringey Travellers United are a somewhat seasoned side having played Ealing Irish Travellers on the 2nd December 2002 at Broadwater Farm North London and Woodside Wanderers on the 14th October 2002 at the pitch on the Woodside site in Bedfordshire just north of Stevenage

Readers of Travellernet will be aware of the history of this site and the long ternatious struggle that has been waged by Clifford and Janie Cadona and all the Romania and Travellers and their supporters to preserve and develop this site.

Haringey Travellers lost their first match at Woodside on the 14 October 2002, however they could not play a return as the pitch and facilities where vandalized during the eviction by Mid Bedfordshire Council and so the Woodside team and their families were again forced to move on. Clifford and Janie Cordona are still fighting on. This match though was a great sporting and cultural success as it did receive positive coverage in the local press and was thoroughly enjoyed by the whole Romani and Traveller community at Woodside who turned out to watch, moreover it was a great sporting event and educational experience for all the boys who took part. Cliff Cordona is determined that future fixtures will take place.

In order to commemorate this inaugural match and the struggle for the site at Woodside it was decided to award the Woodside Wanders team with the Woodside Solidarity Cup.

As the successful Woodside team had to be disbanded through political circumstances beyond their control Haringey Travellers United and Ealing played each other for the Woodside Solidarity Cup at Broadwater Farm in December 2002. Ealing Irish Travellers emerged as the victors in this closely fought encounter so their team Sligo United were presented with the woodside cup at the Traveller/Roma Cultural heritage day at the London Irish center on the 21st February 2003. Photgraphs were taken of this presentation that could be posted on the Traveller/Roma web site contact Noelette keane at ITM for these photographs. It is hoped that Olympian Traveller boxer Francie Barrett and Woodside Roma site representative Clifford Cordona will present Brent Irish Travellers with the Woodside Cup on this Traveller/Roma cultural heritage day.

It is now suggested that the Woodside Solidarity Cup could be an annual one-day knock out tournament for seven aside teams.

This knock out one day Traveller/Roma soccer tournament could be organized by Roma and Travellers and Roma and Traveller organizations and a partnership of football coaches involved in managing Roma and Traveller soccer teams. It is also hoped that a short two-month Traveller/Roma soccer league of home and away fixtures could emerge from this knock out Tournament and at some point in 2003 or 2004

Valdemar Kalinin informs us that he has Roma girls team who are also looking for fixtures with other Traveller/Roma girl's teams. Anyone who has a girls team can therefore telephone Valdamer on 0207 974 8147 so that we can also look at organizing a Traveller/Roma Girls Cup and League.

We hope that the Traveller and Roma community and their supporters and organizations such as the Transeuropean Roma Federation and Irish Travelers Movement (I.T.M.) will join up with those interested in organizing a Traveller/Roma soccer infrastructure in the forthcoming years.

We plan to organise a one day 7aside soccer knoukout tournament for the Woodside Solidarity Cup in London for Roma and Traveller Boys this Summer and are looking for suitable venues in London. You could advertise this Tournament on your Web Site and leave our contact details so that interested Managers of Traveller and Roma sides could contact us.

Ginny (Tel 01726 77113) from Traveller Education in Cornwall is trying to organize Traveller Roma soccer in that area and apparently there is a history of Traveller Roma soccer in Cornwall the details of which could be displayed on your web site

In order to facilitate that process here is a list of Traveller and Roma football contacts.

Hopefully we will get together to organize a 1993 one day Spring or Summer soccer tournament for Roma and Traveller boys and girls aged between 11 to 18. All we need is a soccer venue for the Woodside Solidarity Cup 1993 one-day tournament and some enthusiastic volunteers:

Pauline Booth- Southwark- 0207 6391823
Geraldine Clancy - BIAS Travelers Project - 0208 459 7638
Clifford Codona Tel 01767 689 736
Grattan Puxton 0208 5199187 ustiben@ntlworld.com
Valdemar Kalinin -Tel 0207 974 8147v.kalinin@btopenworld.com
Andy Ingmire 0208 5199187 mobile 07949089778 email Roma@sipportgroup.freeserve.co.uk.
Jake George -Ealing Traveller Education. 88139715. traveduc@Ealing.gov.uk
Gordon Calliste London Gypsy Traveller unit Tel 0208 533 2002
Michael Ridge and Patrick Webb Haringey Travellers Team 0208 4893778