Football helping asylum seekers and refugees integrate into local community

As the world faces increasing displacement crises, a new pioneering intervention highlights the powerful role sports and community support can play in promoting mental wellbeing among young refugees.

Lead researcher Stanzin Otsal – who received a Masters for our ‘Refugee care (M35)’ course – explains:

“By using the metaphor of a team, we’re able to help these young individuals view their challenges from a collective perspective. Football, with its universal appeal, became the perfect backdrop for fostering social connections and promoting emotional resilience”

The joint programme by the University of Essex and the British Red Cross has shown promising outcomes for young refugees and asylum seekers in London. Combining football with the “Team of Life” psychosocial intervention, this project demonstrates how structured physical activity paired with narrative therapy can promote resilience, reduce psychological distress, and strengthen community bonds among vulnerable youths.

The programme is aimed to bridge gaps in mental health services for young refugees, many of whom face isolation, trauma from displacement, and complex legal challenges. The intervention’s unique blend of football and narrative therapy offer these individuals not only a chance for physical exercise but also an environment to improve their self-esteem, process trauma, and form supportive social networks.

Otsal credits the training he received from the Tavistock and Portman for informing his approach on this project. He said he teaches his colleagues at the British Red Cross the psychosocial techniques he learned at our trust as well as the skills in communicating with interpreters.

The “Team of Life” intervention centres on the concept of collective narrative therapy. Here, participants are encouraged to externalise their struggles, much like teammates working together to overcome obstacles in a football match. This model allows youth to reframe their traumatic experiences within a team environment, providing a sense of shared responsibility and mutual support. Football serves as the ideal medium for this approach, enabling participants to draw direct parallels between teamwork on the field and their life.

Over five weeks, the programme engaged young refugees in a series of structured football sessions integrated with the “Team of Life” therapy sessions. To measure the impact of the intervention, researchers used a mixed-method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection. Pre and post programme assessments provided the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) a standardised tool for evaluating psychological health, while semi-structured interviews and participant observations offered deeper insights into the youths’ subjective experiences.

Results from the WEMWBS scale indicated a significant improvement in mental wellbeing, with participants’ scores increasing by an average of 7.8 points—from a moderate wellbeing score of 54.2 to a high score of 62.0. Although the sample size was relatively small, the findings suggested a positive correlation between the intervention and mental health improvements.

Participant feedback highlighted three key areas of impact: social connectedness, emotional resilience, physical health. The feedback underscored the value of combining physical activity with a therapeutic framework, with many young refugees reporting decreased anxiety, improved self-confidence, and a greater sense of belonging. These findings align with research supporting community-based interventions as viable models for mental health support, especially in underserved populations such as refugees and asylum seekers.

“Seeing the participants bond and grow together as a ‘team of life’ has been deeply rewarding,” says Volkan Camuz, assistant researcher. “It’s more than just a game; for many, it’s a lifeline to hope, connection, and resilience.”

Expanding the programme to larger participant groups and exploring gender-specific modifications could further enhance its inclusivity and efficacy. Additionally, long-term follow-up studies are recommended to assess the sustainability of mental health gains observed in this programme.

Looking ahead, the researchers hope to partner with more community organisations to replicate this intervention across diverse geographic and cultural areas, providing a model for addressing mental health needs in refugee populations worldwide.

By utilising football’s universal appeal and the therapeutic potential of narrative therapy, the “Team of Life” programme not only addresses immediate psychological needs but also builds resilience, community, and hope for a brighter future.