Last month, Our City Community Cup returned to the Lockleaze Sports Centre, where Wesport hosted another year of the football tournament as part of the wider Bristol Refugee Festival to celebrate Community As A Superpower! 

Since 2011, the annual football tournament has brought together people and communities from across the West of England to connect, share and celebrate – this year we even had 2 teams travel from Bournemouth to be a part of this fantastic day. In line with the ethos of the Bristol Refugee Festival, the aim of the tournament is to celebrate the contribution that refugees and asylum seekers make to the city, create a better understanding of why people seek sanctuary, help overcome misconceptions and promote cohesion within the community.

“It's such a unifying day, it's a joy to behold and they're such talented people. It's a great thing to be part of, so absolutely amazing.” Maria, Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust. 

There are various groups of people whom without, the tournament would not have been such a success! Our thanks go out to: 

• All the volunteers who kept the day ticking over and on time: The Wesport team (including Noah), Lucy from AWP, David from VANS, Maria from Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and Christos from Craddys. 

• Craddys for sponsoring and contributing towards the cost of the tournament. 

• Gloucestershire FA for their invaluable support in sanctioning the event, supplying match balls and recruiting qualified referees. 

• Lockleaze Sports Centre for hosting us and letting us utilise their great facilities. 

• The players, managers and supporters for creating such an enjoyable atmosphere throughout the day. 

The weather was truly on our side with glorious sunshine throughout the day from the time of setting up to packing down. Teams had the opportunity to showcase their skills in the group stage with the aim of finishing in the top 2, in order to progress into the knockout stage. The knockout stages really showcased the talent on offer in the tournament with close scorelines, moments of individual brilliance and multiple penalty shootouts! 

The day culminated with the winner and runner-up of Group B making their way through the knockouts to face each other once again – this time in the final! The showdown between Woodlands FC and Easton Cowboys was a great final to watch, with some terrific football and teamwork on display but there could only be one winner! In the end, the congratulations go to Woodlands FC who were able to take it that step further and lift the trophy 🏆

We asked Jessie from Aid Box Community, why the tournament and sport is important to the teams they entered. He shared that “it gets people who are economically not able to do anything, they're just stuck a lot of the time, and it gives an opportunity for them to improve physical and mental health, but also to meet new people, to get out and do something that makes them happy. My guys love it. It's incredible. It’s basically a World Cup in one day, in the sunshine.” 

The Our City Community Cup is more than just a football tournament, it’s part of Wesport’s commitment to race equality. Bringing together refugee and community teams provides a welcoming space where diverse communities can connect, be active, and feel seen. This directly supports our goal of becoming an anti-racist organisation and breaking down the barriers that prevent people from leading active lives.  

This year, we saw 17 teams in total turn up for the tournament with 10 of those made up of predominantly refugees and asylum seekers and 7 teams who entered from local communities.  

Participating teams in 2025 were:
ABC Together, ABC Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, Ashley Community Housing (ACH), Bedminster United FC (BUFC), City of Bristol College Adults, City of Bristol College Teens, Craddys, Easton Cowboys, Hardly Fit FC, How Long Left Ref FC, Imperial United, Khulna Kings, United Players A, United Players B, Unity Strikes, Woodlands FC. 

A huge thanks goes to the teams and volunteers who made this day possible. We are proud to host Our City Community Cup as it embodies the values Wesport aims to live by: listening, learning, acting, and building an inclusive culture where everyone has a place in sport and physical activity. 

If you want to discuss the tournament, our work with refugees or how to become more physically active, feel free to contact Caleb, Place and Communities Officer at Wesport, on caleb.thomas@wesport.org.uk