Cascadia play their first ever friendly on Saturday when they meet the Chagos Islands at Whyteleafe FC. The East Surrey club play in the Isthmian League South East Division.<\/p>\n

Five of the men who\u00a0 represented the Cascadia bioregion in the ConIFA World Cup are returning to the squad; Charlie Gregory, Patrick Wilson, Max Oldham, Tayshan Hayden-Smith and Brian Simpson. Oldham was voted Player of the Tournament<\/a> by one newspaper, and his skills out on the right wing will make for interesting viewing for the South London crowd.<\/p>\n

Cascadia head coach James Nichols is looking forward to the event:<\/p>\n

“We are delighted to be moving Cascadia on from our first tournament to the next stage. I want to thank Whyteleafe for their amazing hospitality and offer to host us. It is clubs like them with a commitment to the game that make all the difference.<\/p>\n

“I am looking forward to meeting my Chagossian counterparts too. They are very enthusiastic to be playing us.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

WHO ARE THE CHAGOS ISLANDS?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chagos Islands are situated in the\u00a0Chagos Archipelago\u00a0in the\u00a0Indian Ocean. The side is run by the Chagos Football Association.<\/p>\n

Brian Simpson is returning to represent Cascadia again<\/p><\/div>The area fell under the jurisdiction of the\u00a0British Indian Ocean Territory.<\/p>\n

The UK government forcibly evicted the 2000 strong population between 1968 and 1973 to accommodate the US military’s desire for an air base on Diego Garcia.<\/p>\n

Although many islanders are still fighting for the right to return<\/a>, a large diaspora settled in the town of Crawley in Sussex. It is mostly from that diaspora that the Chagos Islands side draw their players.<\/p>\n

Their first game took place in Crawley in 2011 where they beet Raetia 6-1. In their last game in June, they lost by the same score to Tuvalu in Bedfont.<\/p>\n

The venue for the ConIFA World Cup was London so obviously Cascadia played their games in the English capital.<\/p>\n

This is the last game Cascadia will play in England before they finally make their home debut on July 27th where Darfur will be the opponents.<\/a><\/p>\n

The kickoff is 3pm and you can pay at the gate. Admission is \u00a38 for adults and \u00a34 for children. Whyeleafe South and Upper Warlingham are the nearest stations.<\/p>\n

Food and a commemorative program will also be available. There will be a small number of the brand new Cascadia jersey<\/a> for sale.<\/p>\n

As part of our build up to the game, we will have exclusive interviews with Nichols and the man who will replace James Riley as Captain, Patrick Wilson, as well as a look at the Cascadia squad.<\/p>\n

More on Team Cascadia<\/a><\/p>\n

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