Fila links with UK-based refugee football team

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Dec 5, 2022

To celebrate the ongoing football World Cup, sportswear brand Fila has partnered with Changing Lives FC, the first football team to be made up of refugees and migrants in the UK.

Fila has launched an accompanying campaign that aims to shine a light on the community organisation through a series of player portraits, an action-packed video (shot by Jasmina Wood) of a team training session, as well as an interview style-video featuring Changing Lives Club Manager David Simmons speaking on the importance of community support through football.

The campaign also sees players wear the new Aaron Graphic Short Sleeved Tee, part of the Fila World Cup Collection. The tee features the brand logo alongside a flag compilation of competing countries in this year’s World Cup.

Changing Lives is a community programme based in Harlow, Essex, offering different activities and workshops to support young people within the area. Co-founded by Simmons and Ben Doyle in 2017, the non- profit organisation “aims to encourage young people towards a positive pathway through sport, mentoring and educational workshops working alongside schools and local youth initiatives within the area”.

The team, which plays in the Harlow District League, is comprised of over 11 different nationalities, with players coming from some of the most dangerous and war-torn regions. The football club provides these young people with a chance to socialise, have fun and exercise while forming long- lasting bonds through the medium of sport.