June 26 – As the Euros get towards the end the group stage tonight, Liverpool’s own international tournament is preparing for its semi-final stage.
A unique month-long, multi-cultural football tournament, The World in One City (WIOC), is being staged in Liverpool (3 June – 30 June).
WIOC was founded in 2021 and is a volunteer-led international tournament open to those in the Merseyside region with ethnic links to different nations around the world.
The tournament has seen 16 ‘nations’ across 5 continents play at the finals this year with teams playing under the flags of Albania, Bangladesh, Brazil, Congo, England, Guinea-Bissau, Ireland, Jamaica, Libya, Namibia, Nigeria, Somali Team, West Indies, Yemen, Zimbabwe, plus a Rest of the World (ROTW) team.
Dr Lorraine Bedwell, who lectures in sport business has been conducting a study into the social and cultural impact of the WIOC initiative which celebrates Liverpool’s multi-cultural diversity.
“WIOC provides a great example of the power of grassroots sport, and the purpose of this study is to enhance understanding of the impact and value that events of this size have on the communities that they serve,” said Dr Bedwell.
“While these tournaments are highly valued by their participants, we do not know enough about their specific impact on community pride and sporting participation in under-represented groups, and the extent to which people learn from different cultures.
“Using WIOC as a case study and engaging with all the groups of people who it benefits throughout the month of the tournament will provide valuable insights into these gaps in knowledge.”
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