Hate Crime Awareness Week was hailed as a success conducted by Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin and North Wales Police, and this competition took place in Wrexham.
The eve was held at Glyndwr University and was the first event after the pandemic, and luckily it grabbed the attention of more than 100 players and 15 teams.
In addition, it is worth mentioning here that the commissioner sponsored it. Mr Dunbobbin got out for a team of North Wales Police which hardly failed to make the last four, and the commissioner’s trophy was given to the winners.
After inspiring in central defence and nursing a painful knee, he paid tribute to the players who became part of the event and the organizers. Belle Vue FC is the club established in Wrexham back in 2016 to support people with problems such as abuse substance abuse and mental health problems, ethnic minority or LGBT groups.
He said: “It’s been an amazing event, and after being postponed by the pandemic lockdowns, it’s just becoming better and better and wider and wider.
“During the first year, there were 3 teams, previous time there were 8, and this time there are fifteen from as far afield as Oswestry Wigan, and Chester and with more queries for the upcoming year also.
“It has been played in a high spirit with not a single yellow card and it highlights the message of how when we all unite together we can perform so much more and positive things can occur.”
Place to Place is a club established with the exact ideals of Belle Vue. They have defeated The Hospice of the Good Shepherd, from Brackley, near Chester, 4-0 in the final.
In the semi-final, they won swiftly against Belle Vue Women, who passed on a vote given by the captains of all the competing teams, while the Hospice battled past Oswestry’s Dragon Tuesday Club, who at last finished at third.
The organizer of the event named Delwyn Derrick, the maker of Belle Vue FC, also assisted in refereeing the tournament, which included 3 groups of 5 teams and 34 20-minute games. All were played with footballs having rainbow colours. He stated at the final whistle: “This is the greatest one we’ve accomplished, so I’m too much less stressed now than I was earlier.
“But it’s been a tremendous success. All the participants supported Hate Crime Awareness Week, and they’ve all determined to come again next year.
“The support of the commissioner has been amazing, and I can only see the tournament getting even greater next time when it might have to be extended over a couple of days.
“When it comes to hate crime it’s not the people who come from unfavorable situations that are the issue and the victory of this tournament depicts what we are cap-able of when we all unite together.”
Belle Vue was the winner of the event when it was played three years back. Unfortunately, they lost the semi-finals despite the amazing portrayal of the game.
