Swans host Community Cohesion Cup

​​​​​​​South Wales Police faced Kush Stars in the final of the Western Bay Community Cohesion Cup at the Liberty Stadium.

The Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team (EYST) held the event in conjunction with South Wales Police (SWP) with the aim of breaking down barriers and strengthening relationships between communities.

The Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team delivers a number of projects concentrating on minority communities in Swansea and the wider area.

Swansea City’s equality and customer service manager, Lucy Norman, has worked with EYST and SWP on club equality.

She said: “The core mission of the Community Cohesion Cup reflects much of Swansea City’s own commitment to inclusion by aiming to eliminate barriers, unite communities and build trust.

“This is why we’re delighted to once again support both South Wales Police and EYST by granting them access to the Liberty Stadium this summer and our academy the summer before.

“These elite facilities help reflect the significance of the event and – we hope – inspires those that take part.”

Mohammed Basit is project officer on the BME Sport Cymru project, which runs the Community Cohesion Cup.

He said: “The project is increasing participation and capacity-building in terms of increasing volunteers and coaches, and is trying to tackle inequality and barriers that communities are facing.

“This event is all about getting a diverse range of communities together and building better relationships with the wider community and the police, and also taking part in sport and increasing participation in football.”

Chief Inspector Mat Lewis described the event as an opportunity to encourage black and minority ethnic persons into the police force to represent the communities that we police.

“If we have a reflective demographic of the population within the force, it’s a better way of understanding the communities’ needs,” he said.

Kush Stars beat three teams to make their way to the final where they lifted the trophy, beating SWP 4-2 in a thrilling match.

Swans club ambassador Lee Trundle was on hand to present the winners with their cup.

“Congratulations to Kush Stars for winning the cup,” Trundle said.

“It was a great game with some well-taken goals and end-to-end football. The crowd was certainly entertained. In the end, Kush Stars showed that bit of quality in front of goal and that was the difference.”