2017

In early 2017, Lighthouse Relief started organising football sessions for children and young adults in Ritsona camp. The facilities at the time were extremely basic! Sometimes matches took place on an old helicopter landing area (Ritsona was a former army camp), but mostly games were played on dusty, stoney areas of the camp.

In March, one of the camp residents - Bassam Omar, a refugee from Qamishli in northern Syria - created a new team, and called it Ritsona United. With support from the Spanish NGO, Asociacion Amigos de Ritsona (who supplied the team’s kit) and Lighthouse Relief staff, the team played several matches in the nearby town of Drosia.

The team picture in the gallery below shows Ritsona United lining up before their first match on 17th April 2017. The local Drosia team won 6-4 - although, as Bassam said: “It’s true we lost, but at the same time we won!” The team comprised: Abu-Farouq, Ahmed, Abufaris, Fahed, Kouteibah, Muhammed, George, Bassam, Barran, Ahmed, Taha, Farhad, and Michael.

The story of the birth of Ritsona United is told in the Ritsona Kingdom Journal - a physical and on-line magazine produced by participants in the Lighthouse Relief Youth Engagement Space (for residents from 12 – 25 years old). Under Lighthouse Relief's guidance, the young people led every stage of the magazine's development. They created the content, designed the magazine's look and layout, and distributed it throughout the camp. It was also available digitally, via the LHR website (where it is still available) and Narratio, the digital platform created by Syrian refugee, Ahmed Badr.

The first edition covered the creation of Ritsona United…..Bassam Omar wrote: “During the long wait in this camp - a wait which we don't know when it will end - I decided to take advantage of this wait to increase my talent in football. And never give up. My dream is to play with any team in Europe. And I know that is almost impossible. But I will not lose hope because I believe in hope more than anything else.”