News
Cowgirls football newsletter issue 8
This issue: Diyar’s visit and Wendy’s ‘unique’ Copa Lucrecia roundup!
Palestinian women’s team visit
In June a women’s football team from Diyar Academy in Bethlehem, who the Cowgirls met on their 2015 tour to the West Bank, will be coming to the UK. The Cowgirls will be hosting them for a weekend in Bristol on the 2nd-4th. On Friday night we will be eating food and showing the Balls, Barriers and Bulldozers film at the Palestine museum, and on Saturday there will be a tournament with teams from Bristol Women’s Football Casual League starting at 10:30 am. Everyone is welcome, and please invite your friends. Full details in the flyer:
Tournament fundraiser: Muff Said + DJ Tina Hart
Muff Said have kindly offered to donate the proceeds of their next gig to the tournament – so get yer skanking boots on!
A night of live brassy ska followed by a DJ set from Tina Hart that’ll have you dancing til’ dawn.
Republicow v United Glasgow exhibition game
Easton Cowgirls, Republica IFC and United Glasgow standing up to intolerance
Last month 9 cowgirls travelled to Manchester to play in a special women’s match against United Glasgow. The match was part of the ‘Our City United’ tournament organised by Manchester Unison, involving teams from communities across the city and invited teams from across Britain and Europe with an ethos of community and solidarity. We were joined by some friends from Leeds from Republica IFC to make an unstoppable 11 aside Republicow team. The game was fairly evenly matched in the first half, despite an accident involving a bash on the conk and smashed glasses for Flic. The second half saw us going one-nil down in the first few minutes. This was obviously highly shocking to the old system and instigated us upping our game and seeing 3 cracking goals from Bridie, Talin and Blue.
Following the match we had a showing of our Palestine tour film ‘Balls, Barriers and Bulldozers’, followed by watching FC United’s game at the Broadhurst Park stadium. The rest of the evening will probably need to be related in person in the Plough!
The very distracted Easton Cowgirls at the ‘Our City United’ tournament, Manchester
Proudly East London football tournament
We’ve very nicely been invited to Clapton Ultra’s ‘Proudly East London’ tournament 2017. Info below. Looks like we’ll be entering either 1 women’s and 1 men’s team, or a mixed team.
In partnership with Kick It Out and Fans For Diversity, we’re hosting our annual Proudly East London 5-a-side football tournament on Saturday July 15th 2017 and would like to invite your team to attend. The tournament aims to bring football teams and community groups together to celebrate the diversity of East London and promote inclusion both within and beyond football. We expect the tournament to run from around 12-6pm and hope to organise an after-party following the day’s play.
‘Balls, Barriers and Balldozers’ showing, Newcastle
Side Cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne are screening ‘Balls, Barriers and Balldozers’; the 40 minute documentary about the Easton Cowgirls and Republica Internationale women’s football tour of the West Bank. The film will be followed by a Q&A with the film director and players from the tour.
Doors open at 18.30pm for a 19.00pm start.
Please buy tickets in advance for £5 (plus 50p bf) at: https://billetto.co.uk/en/
All proceeds from the event will be donated to Hebron International Resource Network who facilitated the tour. Check out the trailer for a glimpse of what to expect: https://vimeo.com/145781234
Cows social: ‘Offside’ theatre performance
Cows social! Friday 7th April we are going to a showing of ‘Offside’: A new play by Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish, inspired by real, untold stories from the world of women’s football.
http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/offside/
Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr5xsb_hmR8
We are also possibly going for food before hand at ‘Fi real’ http://www.fireal.co.uk/
If you’re up for it let Ev know. All welcome.
‘1 day without us’ demo
1 Day Without Us are organising a “day of action against racism and austerity” on 20th Feb, finishing with a demo at 5:30pm at the fountains. Perhaps we could send a cowfolk delegation?
https://www.facebook.com/events/200059203731378/
Here’s the blurb:
No to austerity and racism, yes to diversity and equality!
We are people of different nationalities who have decided to act against the climate of racism, xenophobia and nationalism fomented by government rhetoric and mainstream media in the aftermath of Brexit.
We respect social and cultural diversity and fight against all forms of racism and inequality. We also recognise that most migrants in the UK were forced to move from their countries after the destruction of these economies by the impact of trade liberalisation, economic austerity policies and the economic crisis.
The Tory government’s agenda has systematically attacked working and social rights of people. In the post-Brexit climate, there is a specific ongoing attack of the government on the EU migrants, who will be used as an asset for the negotiations of Brexit, towards a further restriction of their rights in the UK. This is added to the rise of the existing xenophobic climate in the pre- and post-Brexit period, thereby targeting all migrants. The anti-immigration rhetoric also incorporates further restrictions to migrants’ access to the welfare system, creating a divided society of first, second and third class citizens.
The scapegoating of migrants and refugees will not solve the problems faced by the UK population.
We want to act in solidarity with the British employees, students and pensioners, defending our common rights and confronting austerity and inequality.
We campaign for the following:
• Defending the working, democratic and social rights of all people living in the UK, migrants and British citizens alike
• An up-front guarantee for existing EU people in the UK to stay and work
• The free movement of people
• An end to austerity and the improvement of living standards in the whole of Europe
• No scapegoating of migrants
• No to racism, nationalism and fascism
• Equal rights for all people regardless of their origin
We call everyone to attend the national day of action “One day Without US” in solidarity with EU nationals and immigrants who work, live and study in the UK, on the 20th of February.
In Bristol from 12.00 in the Foutnains with multicultural art performances and food and at 17.30 for a demo