Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls

Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls
Formation 1 January 1992
Type Community organisation
Legal status Club
Purpose Sports, charity fundraising
Headquarters The Plough
Location
Membership
 Private persons
Website eastoncowboys.org.uk
Formerly called
 Easton Cowboys

The Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls is a community sports and social club in Easton, Bristol, UK. Its origins date to the 1980s, with the club itself being formed in 1992 in connection with the joining of a local football league. Club members have travelled overseas to compete in sports events, and have also been involved in some charitable fundraising events.

History

The group is described as a community sports and social club,[1][2] and is based in Easton, Bristol, UK. The origins of the club go back to the late 1980s, in St Pauls and Baptist Mills School in Easton.[3]

The club itself began in 1992 with the formation of a football team[2] and the joining of a local football league.[3] The cricket team was established in 1994, women's football in 2002 and netball in 2004.[3] It has since grown to host several sports teams and attracted support for charitable fundraising from artist Banksy,[4] who played in goal in the '90s and toured with the club to Mexico in 2001.[3] As of 2012 the club had around 150 sports players.[3] The club's home is The Plough on Easton Road.[2]

The club celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2012 with an international tournament at Berrow, Somerset, and hopes to have its own home ground in the future.[3] Two longstanding members have written a book about the club's history.[3]

Activities

The club hosts several men's and one women's football team, three cricket teams, two netball teams and a mixed[3] basketball team.[5] As of 2012, the men's team is in the Bristol and Suburban Association Football League.[6]

The club's slogan in connection with playing against Zapatista uprising rebels in 2001 was "Freedom through Football".[7][8] A football team's experiences in Palestine were documented in the film Over the Wall, directed by Jesse Tate.[9][10] The club has a twinning arrangement with a sports club in Tulkarem.[11]

Members of the club have participated in international tournaments since 1993, and the club has hosted tournaments itself.[3]

Charitable fundraising

Members of the club also raise money for charities worldwide, including raising £100,000 over a period of 10 years for fresh water in Mexico.[4][12] Groups of members have also raised funds to support the Palestinian cause, fighting breast cancer and South African women in danger of corrective rape.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Iles, Dan (September 2011). "Bristol: Chameleon skin, seditious heart". Red Pepper. Retrieved 2 February 2012. The area is also home to a community sports venture, The Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls. This group strives to build social ties between the diverse ethnic backgrounds in the locality.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Who Are We?". Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls. Retrieved 2 February 2012. The Easton Cowboys began with the formation of a football team in 1992. [...] a social club of more than 150 based in Easton [...] The Plough [...] has been the home and sponsor of the Easton Cowboys since (almost) the very beginning.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Onyanga-Omara, Jane (14 September 2012). "Banksy in goal: The story of the Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls". BBC News. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lamdin, Fiona (1 November 2010). "The Easton Cowboys football team help charities in Mexico". BBC News. Retrieved 2 February 2012. A Bristol football team is celebrating a decade of raising vital funds for charities around the world. The Easton Cowboys went to Mexico 10 years ago to play football, since then they've raised around £100,000 to provide fresh water for the area. Bristol artist Banksy has also lent his support to the project [...]
  5. ↑ "Welcome leaflet" (PDF). Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls. Retrieved 2 February 2012. [...] Th e Cowboys and Cowgirls now include several men's and one women's football team, three cricket teams, two netball teams and a basketball team.
  6. ↑ "Team Directory; Easton Cowboys Suburbia". Bristol and Suburban Association Football League. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "Freedom through Football/A la Libertad por el Futbol". The Irish Times (Infoshop.org). 27 January 2001. Archived from the original on 28 June 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "Playing cowboys and Indians". The Irish Times. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Over the Wall + TALK Conor McCormack + Circus2Iraq". Bristol Palestine Film Festival. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Film: Over the Wall; Dir: Jesse Tate; [...] follows the endeavours of Bristol-based sports team Easton Cowboys as they return to the West Bank for a second time. The film provides an insight into the realities of the occupation as seen by Palestinian and Israeli people and explores how football can build connections between communities across the world.
  10. ↑ "Jesse Tate's Worldwide World Premier". Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Last night saw the worldwide world premier of Over The Wall Jesse Tate's film about the Easton Cowboys in the West Bank.
  11. ↑ "Football against the wall". Freedom Press. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "How Banksy and the Easton Cowboys took help to Mexico". Bristol Evening Post. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.

External links