Lesson Nine: Sectarianism and Sport Cultural Diversity In & Through Sport

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Learning Outcomes By the end of the session you should be able to: Describe the term sectarianism Identify how sectarianism is manifest using sporting examples Examine own attitudes towards sectarianism Explain the consequences of prejudice and discrimination Identify ways in which attitudes can be challenged

Group Activity In groups, discuss what sectarianism is and how it is displayed within society. Use real life examples to illustrate what you mean.

Sectarianism Definition A system of attitudes, actions, beliefs, and structures at personal, communal and institution levels Always involves religion and typically involves a negative mixing of religion, cultural traditions and politics. Arises as a distorted expression of positive, human needs especially for belonging, identity, and free expression of difference.

Origins of Sectarianism The origins of sectarianism can be traced back to the time of the Christian Reformation and interpretations in Islam leading to: Protestant faith being formed after Martin Luther broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16 th century Division in Shia and Sunni over role of Ali as first Caliph

Sectarianism in Northern Ireland In Northern Ireland, sectarianism is not just confined to relationships between Protestants and Catholics. It also refers to any form of discrimination or disadvantage suffered by someone because of their religious or non-religious beliefs

How Does Sectarianism Manifest? There are several ways in which sectarianism manifests within a society: Hardening boundaries between groups and individuals Overlooking others Belittling, dehumanising, or demonising others Justifying or collaborating in the domination of others Physically or verbally intimidating or attacking others

Non-sectarian Definition A position often adopted by organisations and individuals throughout Northern Ireland  i.e. avoiding talking about anything to do with politics or religion in mixed company, usually in the workplace, sports club or in schools/colleges

Anti-sectarianism Definition Addresses attitudes and practices that are beyond those covered by anti-discrimination and equal opportunities legislation Designed to decrease sectarianism at individual, group and institutional levels Seeks to challenge those personal and group attitudes, culturally and socially formed, which result in sectarianism

Task: How are attitudes formed? In groups, discuss how you think sectarian attitudes are formed. Think about the sources that have influenced you in a good or bad way

How are attitudes formed? According to research by the Community Relations Resource Centre entitled, ‘Too Young to Notice? – The Cultural and Political Awareness of 3 – 6 year olds in NI’, three particular factors appeared to be influential in increasing children’s awareness and attitudes. Can you guess what they are? Family, Local community School Click here for the report.here

How are attitudes formed? 1. Preference for particular cultural events and symbols By the age of three Roman Catholic and Protestant children were found to show small but significant differences in attitudes for particular people’s names, flags, towards Orange Order marches and the police. Ages 5-6 showed differences in terms of preferences for particular combinations of colours and football shirts Source: Connolly, P. (2002) Et al. Too Young to Notice? – The Cultural and Political Awareness of 3 – 6 year olds in NI. Community Relations Council: Belfast.

How are attitudes formed? 2. Awareness of particular cultural events and symbols 51% of all 3 year olds were able to demonstrate some awareness of the cultural/political significance of at least one event or symbol. 90% of 6 year olds demonstrated the greatest awareness of the cultural/political significance of parades, flags and Irish dancing Source: Connolly, P. (2002) Et al. Too Young to Notice? – The Cultural and Political Awareness of 3 – 6 year olds in NI. Community Relations Council: Belfast.

How are attitudes formed? 3. Tendency to identify with a particular community 3 and 4 year olds demonstrated some identification with either community (5% and 7% respectively) 13% of 5 year olds 34% of 6 year olds Source: Connolly, P. (2002) Et al. Too Young to Notice? – The Cultural and Political Awareness of 3 – 6 year olds in NI. Community Relations Council: Belfast.

How are attitudes formed? 4. Tendency to make sectarian statements Sectarian and/or prejudiced comments developed with age among young children: Rare among 3 and 4 year olds (1% and 3%) 7% of 5 year olds 15% of 6 year olds

Group activity In groups discuss how the family, local community and school could be influential in increasing children’s awareness and attitudes. Use your own experiences to highlight and illustrate what you mean. Also, identify examples of when and where sectarianism has occurred in sport

Sectarianism in the Community Click here.here Watch the video and then discuss the what you have seen:

Football in Northern Ireland Despite football’s English origins, it is a popular game amongst both Roman Catholics and Protestants Working Class people on the Island of Ireland However, Roman Catholic support for Irish League teams has declined in recent years for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons for the decline in support has been, in part, a result of the withdrawal from the Irish League of teams with a large Roman Catholic following such as Belfast Celtic in 1949 and Derry City in 1971

Irish League There has been a lot of conflict in Northern Irish football. Northern Ireland football grounds have been described as “useful sites of public displays of political affiliation” Internal divisions between groups involved in political violence in the mid 1990s was reflected in the supporters of various clubs

Tackling the Issues The Irish Football Association (IFA) has attempted to address the problem of sectarianism The IFA appointed a Community Relations Officer whose role was to implement a football community relations strategy For a statement from the IFA regarding its campaign to “Stamp Out Sectarianism in the Irish League”, click herehere

Case Study: Belfast Celtic Established in 1891, Belfast Celtic withdrew from the Irish League and was dissolved in 1949 after years of sectarian crowd problems Their withdrawal culminated in a Boxing Day match against Linfield at Windsor Park which ended in a pitch invasion and riot During the violence, Belfast Celtic's Protestant centre forward, Jimmy Jones, suffered a broken leg For more information in Belfast Celtic, click herehere

Case Study: International Level Neil Lennon, a Roman Catholic from Lurgan, County Armagh had to abandon his international career with Northern Ireland when he joined Glasgow Celtic He received death threats and was advised by police to take them seriously. Lennon's family were forced to move to a safe house. Much of the sectarianism was fuelled by internet hate sites, including several on Facebook encouraging people to hang or shoot him. To hear Neil’s views on sectarianism in football, click herehere

Research into Sectarianism A survey commissioned by the Northern Assembly in 2001, entitled “Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland”, highlighted that the types of sports people participate in and the teams they support usually reflect their community background and perceived political and cultural allegiances. For example: Roman Catholics are more likely to participate in sports which celebrate the Irish tradition (Gaelic Football, Hurling) Protestants are more likely to engage in sports which celebrate the British tradition (Hockey, Cricket, Rugby etc) Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

When asked to identify the ways in which sport has been effected by the troubles, respondents to the “Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland” research responded as follows:  46% of respondents stated spectator violence  36% stated that the troubles had effected travel to venues  25% of respondents believed soccer built bridges across the divide  Sport perceived as reinforcing divisions included Gaelic Football (27% of respondents), Hurling (15%) and Soccer (14%) Research into Sectarianism Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Research into Sectarianism The role of the schools sports curriculum in perpetuating community conflict have been examined:  It has been argued that the games curriculum in schools in Northern Ireland is highly dependent upon whether the school is Roman Catholic or Protestant.  For example, Gaelic Games predominate in Roman Catholic schools whilst Rugby, Cricket and Hockey are predominantly played in Protestant schools. Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Research into Sectarianism Sports in Schools: This results in very little cross community contact between schools in regards to sport. When schools do participate in a common games such as Football, Protestant and Roman Catholic children rarely play in the same team, it is more common for them to play against each other which can lead to conflict both on and off the pitch. Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Sports in Schools One researcher has argued that whilst there have been a number of cross-community sports programmes in schools, many of these are simply ‘one-off’ events and that there still exists considerable resistance to any long term alteration of the school games curriculum in order to meet the objectives of community relations Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Sports in Schools It has also been suggested that sport in Northern Ireland falls into three general categories:  Sports which arrived in Ireland as a result of British influence e.g. Cricket, Hockey and Rugby. Predominantly played by Protestants  Sports which originated from the Irish Gaelic tradition, e.g. Hurling, Gaelic Football, Handball. Predominantly played by Roman Catholics  Sports which originated in Britain but are played universally and are no longer described as British sports e.g. Soccer, Athletics and Boxing Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) The formation of the GAA was viewed as an important opportunity to nurture the sense of an Irish national identity Additionally was an important vehicle to halt the popularity of British sports in Ireland The GAA is still perceived by the Unionist community as a sectarian organisation despite lifting its ban on security force personnel from membership and because of its past association with political issues such as the hunger strikes Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) The Protestant community in Northern Ireland feel alienated from the GAA because of its nationalist aspirations and because of factors such as the flying of the Irish Tricolour at matches Also, the naming of GAA grounds and clubs after Nationalist heroes (e.g. Casement Park) Furthermore, it is in part due to the discovery of arms caches on GAA property Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) The GAA has itself also suffered as a result of sectarianism. Many members have been killed and injured by loyalist paramilitaries In the past number of years the GAA has moved to become an Ant- Sectarian and Anti-Racist Organisation Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) In 2001, the GAA scrapped Rule 21 which prevented members of the British security forces from joining clubs. In April 2005 it temporarily suspended Rule 42, which up until 1971 forbade GAA members from playing Association Football and Rugby and which prevented these games from being played at Croke Park Some of its members were bitterly opposed to this, with all the GAA boards of the six counties in NI against the move and of Ulster’s nine counties, only two (Cavan and Donegal) were in favour Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Rugby Rugby continues to function in an all-Ireland context despite being a Protestant/Unionist dominated sport. It has been suggested that this is due to Rugby being mainly a sport played in middle-class schools and that, in general, the middle-classes feel less threatened by maintaining some cross-border contacts However, rugby does still continue to suffer a degree of sectarianism. Although they claim to be non-sectarian, the majority of rugby clubs have their foundations in an education system divided along religious lines Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Rugby Even though Ireland fields a rugby team consisting of players from both North and South, tension still remains in relation to the flag flown, anthem played and location of international matches There is also the additional question over allegations of bias in regards to the selection of players and coaches in the Irish team The Irish National Anthem was played before matches but some players felt excluded Currently the IRFU uses Phil Coulter’s ‘Ireland’s Call’ at international matches Source: Northern Ireland Assembly (2001) “ Sectarianism And Sport In Northern Ireland ”. Click here for full research paper.here for full research paper

Old Firm Derby Scotland's two largest and most successful football clubs have a cultural identity closely bound to politics on the island of Ireland Glasgow Celtic, the younger of the two, has a mainly Roman Catholic following. Glasgow Rangers is older, and has attracted a large Scottish and later Ulster Protestant following. To date, the two teams have played each other 399 times: Rangers have won 159 matches, Celtic have won 144 matches and 96 matches have ended in a draw

Old Firm Watch then discuss the following video for a background to the Celtic ‘v’ Rangers Old Firm dearby. Click here.here

Challenging Personal Attitudes Requires a willingness on your part to: Admit your prejudices and stereotyped views Identify where they came from and how they developed Become aware of these attitudes Have the courage to challenge these within yourself and others Work towards accommodating difference/diversity

Challenging Sectarianism In 1998 the Northern Ireland Sports Council launched a “Sport without Prejudice” Campaign Raised awareness of the need to address sectarianism within sport. The campaign asked those who participate or support sport to refrain from using foul or abusive language, using sectarian language, waving flags or emblems which could be offensive and singing sectarian rhymes or songs.

Challenging Sectarianism There have been a number of campaigns to combat Sectarianism in sport. They include:  Football for All Football for All  Kick it Out Kick it Out  UEFA 10 Point Plan UEFA 10 Point Plan  Appointing Community Relations Officers to ensure good practice Appointing Community Relations Officers to ensure good practice

Challenging Sectarianism Source: Click here.here

Challenging Sectarianism As part of its education programme the Football For All Project, which is managed by the Irish FA Community Relations Department, aims to:Football For All Developing Good Relations training for all Irish FA staff and board members. Football For All domestic seminars to encourage good practice using football to tackle sectarianism and racism. Ongoing Good Relations awareness training for coaches and volunteers. Delivery of Football For All anti-sectarian and anti-racism workshops.

Thought for the Day A controversial advertisement from the 1993: Click here.here