I was delighted to put together a short poem for the Premier League Writing Stars initiative. The theme was diversity and my 7 year old daughter helped me write it.
You can have a butchers at my effort here…
THE PRESTIGIOUS players awards at the Football Black List celebration have been renamed after the late great Cyrille Regis.
Footballers, managers, senior administrators, politicians, community activists and grassroots coaches came together to celebrate the renaming of the player awards and 10 years of the initiative on what was a very special night.
Liverpool forward, Mo Salah, Newcastle winger, Christian Atsu, Aston Villa loanee, Yannick Bolasie, former Tottenham Hotspur Ladies player, Eartha Pond and the recently retired, Liam Rosenior, were the first recipients of the newly named awards in honour of the pioneering black footballer – who also made great strides as a mentor and agent when he finished his playing career.
The Football Black List celebration, supported by the Premier League, highlights the contributions of people from African and Caribbean backgrounds to the game – a group that is under represented away from the pitch.
While more than 30 per cent of professional players in the UK are black, there are just seven BAME managers across the 92 clubs, and only one Chairman. To help address this the Football Black List shines a light on those who are inspiring the next generation to consider roles in the game away from playing.
Award categories include coaching and management, administration, media, commercial, community and practitioners.
Cyrille’s wife, Julia Regis, said: “The family welcome the renaming of the Football Black List players award for contribution to football and beyond, and know Cyrille would have been touched by this.
“Cyrille spent much of his time mentoring and advising players, not only on how to maximise their potential on the field but also off it.
“Footballers have a great opportunity to use their profile and status to help support and push forward positive change in communities and Cyrille was always very keen to encourage this.”
Rodney Hinds, co-founder of the Football Black List and Voice of Sport editor said: “Cyrille is a true football pioneer. We were all devastated by his passing but it was a real privilege to be in his presence at the last Football Black List awards.
“To be able to honour outstanding contributions to the beautiful game, like Cyrille, is part of the thinking behind the Football Black List and we are delighted to do so.”
Leon Mann, co-founder of the Football Black List, added: “Cyrille was a big supporter of the Football Black List and we were honoured he could join us last year where he was awarded for his outstanding contribution to the game and the black community.
“We all owe a great deal to Cyrille and we are delighted his family were supportive of our suggestion to rename the player awards and ensure he will always be a part of our celebration.”
There were also special awards – named in honour of the late Keith Alexander – given to outstanding individuals for their work in the game – for footballers Lianne Sanderson and Eniola Aluko.
One of the world’s first black professional footballers was remembered at the event through the Walter Tull award – given to historian Phil Vasili – marking 100 years since the pioneer died during World War 1, while serving as the first black British officer to command white troops.
The initiative also recognised the next generation of leaders in the sport from the black community – through the Ugo Ehiogu Ones to Watch awards.
Ugo’s wife, Gemma said of the newly expanded award:
“Ugo was hugely supportive of the Black List and very grateful to the work that Leon and his team did in organising such a worthwhile event. I remember him coming home with the “One to Watch” award in 2016 which he didn’t expect to win. That award meant as much to him as anything he’d ever won.”
Ugo’s brother Alosie also stated:
“The award signifies the potential in how there can be no ceiling if you work hard to pursue your goals. The Ugo Legacy hopefully will resonate with young people for years to come, and set the standards, he set himself in life. Ugo never forgot his grassroots as he supported and mentored those around him. The award will be a challenge to all aspiring up and coming young talented individuals to realize their potential in life.”
Ugo’s sister Ola said:
“This award is very important to me because Ugo was far more than an ex- footballer and a coach. Ugo was a mentor to many people both on and off the pitch. Ugo never forgot his roots and was committed to supporting community events and organisations that were close to his heart. Ugo always encouraged people from all backgrounds to reach their full potential. It is therefore very fitting that this awarded continues the legacy that Ugo started.”
Ugo’s brother Andy also added:
“The award is very important to me because my brother Ugo played a huge part in the black community and had massive promise to become an excellent coach, He had close links with grass roots clubs in the local area.
“The thought of his legacy continuing is very important to me as he was about supporting people and developing them with sound advice, mentoring young coaches and players at spurs. He was an amazing brother and father and was always seeing good in people.
“I am keen to celebrate similar successes with people who are devoting their time and hard work to projects and local communities schemes.”
The official charity partner of the Football Black List this year is Prostate Cancer UK. One in four black men will get the cancer, so the event hopes to raise awareness of the importance of regular health checks to detect any issues as early as possible.
The Prime Minister has today, 19th October, recognised Leon Mann, from London, for his outstanding contribution to increasing diversity in the sports media.
Here is a short video message on receiving the award.
The sports media have come together at the #DWord3 conference organised by BCOMS (Black Collective of Media in Sport) to seek solutions to address the under-representation of women, BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic), LGBT+ and those with disabilities in the industry.
BCOMS shared new research into under-representation at the conference on the number of BAME and women sports journalists sent to cover major sports events this year. The network looked at 338 roles across broadcasting and the written media reporting on the FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Wimbledon, Commonwealth Games and the inaugural European Championships.
Key findings include:
- 3 female writers from the UK sports media were sent to cover the FIFA World Cup, out of a total of 63 journalists, from the national newspapers
- 1 Black sports journalist was sent to cover the FIFA World Cup, again, from the 63 sent by the national newspapers
- 5 of the 338 roles looked at by BCOMS across the major tournaments were given to black journalists without a professional sports background
- 7 of the 338 roles were given to Asian sports journalists
- 0 BAME females were found across the 109 roles in the newspapers covering the major sports tournaments BCOMS researched
Some of the highest ranking bosses from the sports media including Simon Green, Head of BT Sport, Steve Smith, Director of Programmes and Content at Sky Sports, Niall Sloane, Director of Sport at ITV, Stephen Lyle, Head of Sport at Channel 4 and Shaun Custis, Head of Sport at The Sun Newspaper spoke at the conference.
The London Deputy Mayor, Matthew Ryder, also joined the #DWord3 and shared his thoughts on the importance of diversity in sport, the media and society.
Workshops designed to identify solutions to address under representation in the industry took place across the day, with the ideas and action points generated to be published in an innovative diversity guide – supported by the Sports Journalists’ Association (SJA) – that will be sent to every media outlet in the UK.
The #DWord3 was hosted by BT Sport at their studios in Stratford, London, and is supported by IMG, Refresh and the Fare network. The event was part of the #FootballPeople action weeks – the period (11 – 25 October) sees the largest series of anti-discrimination activities in sport take place across Europe.
Leon Mann, BCOMS founder, said:
“Since the first #DWord in 2014, there has been some progress in the industry and we believe our work and conferences have contributed to this through highlighting challenges and solutions.
“However, away from some positive shifts for female broadcasters (though the numbers of BAME women continue to be unacceptably low), our latest research underlines just how far the sports media is away from reflecting modern society – let alone the UK’s national sports.
“This impacts how stories are told. It impacts how audiences engage and view sport and people from diverse backgrounds. It impacts the aspirations of young people to be sports journalists. Things must change.”
When a World Cup, Olympics or Premier League season comes to an end, my social media timelines quickly remind me that the diversity of the athletes we see on the pitch, court and tracks is far from represented by those telling and sharing their stories across the globe.
The sports media has a major issue. Away from Olympic gold medal-winning or former International footballer pundits there is very little diversity to be found. And trust me, I’ve been looking.
Don’t believe me? Well, check out the crew pictures the superstar pundits posted this summer. These images represent the true picture of the sports media. If you are a young black man or woman, without a medal or 500 appearances at the top level, you could be forgiven for wondering what hope you had in an industry totally unreflective of British society, let alone many national sports.
But I founded BCOMS (the Black Collective of Media in Sport) to draw a line under the doom and gloom. We cannot allow any more generations of talented diverse people to be lost to a profession that can be so rewarding. And things are changing…the black community does have some representation in the sports media.
Stephen Lyle is the head of sport for Channel 4 and Louise Sutton is the boss of BBC Sport’s Final Score programme, while YouTubers Poet, of Copa90, and Robbie Lyle, the creator of Arsenal Fan TV, have shown us traditional media outlets are not the only platforms to shine on – or own.
The D Word 3 conference on diversity in the sports media will present a unique and unrivalled opportunity to share ideas on improving the industry and network with senior decision makers who can help you get a foot in the door and up the ladder.
It is designed to help change the demographics of the sports media – and progress will be easy to assess… just keep an eye on the pictures popping up on your timelines in years to come.
This column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper.
I can’t lie. I was a little nervous about what to expect at the World Cup in Russia as I jumped on my flight to Moscow. But I have to say my experience was entirely positive and will live long in the memory.
My work – as a sports journalist, film-maker and consultant – has taken me to lots of incredible places. Kazakhstan, Belarus, China, Thailand, Israel and the Ivory Coast are just a few countries I have been fortunate enough to have seen in recent years. I am well travelled, so the prospect of heading to Moscow, just a 3 hour flight away, should not have stirred up the anxiety I experienced.
But who could blame me! Stories of violence towards black people (well, all people that aren’t Russian) were widespread across the media ahead of the tournament. Also speaking directly to anti-racism campaigners in the country they were concerned about what could happen.
However, as I strolled through the Red Square – one of just a few black people around at that time – I couldn’t have felt more comfortable. The country is firmly under the World Cup’s spell and the celebrations are in full swing.
During my time in Moscow, working with Yaya Touré for beIN Sports, I took the opportunity to take in as much of the atmosphere as possible. Outside of working hours I would walk around the city and take in the sheer size of the place. Massive buildings, expansive roads, huge statues and monuments. The people were friendly and welcoming – they are fiercely proud to be hosting a World Cup in their country.
At the game I attended, Belgium v Tunisia, the football was magnificent, while the organisation at the stadiums was genuinely outstanding. Russia had done their homework and delivered a superb fan experience.
My only hope is that when the ‘show’ rolls out of town, the impact of the global party lives on. The anti-racism campaigners I spoke to were more optimistic than ever. Never before had so many in their country been exposed to such diversity and welcomed it. Many had always feared it. But the World Cup had helped to challenge these concerns.
I guess we will only really see the long lasting impact of the World Cup in years to come but in the meantime, to anyone reading this considering a quick dash to Moscow. Do it!!!
YAYA VISITS DIVERSITY HOUSE
During my time working in the game I’ve seen lots of footballers front high profile anti-racism campaigns but rarely see them going to check out the work on the ground.
So I was delighted when Yaya asked me if he could pay a quick visit to FARE’s Diversity House in Moscow following a conversation we had about campaigners work at the World Cup.
Yaya and I dropped by the house, where activities promoting diversity have been ongoing throughout the tournament. He shared some of his experiences of playing and living in Ukraine with campaigners and thanked them for their work in football.
Please, please, please can other players follow Yaya’s lead. Campaigners across the world need support!
I was delighted to attend the brilliant Best of Africa awards this week, where friends and clients Yaya Touré and Yannick Bolasie both picked up awards!
Yaya received an award for his work with Tackle Africa in the Ivory Coast and Yannick was recognised for his YB3 initiative.
I’m very proud my consultancy has played a significant role in both initiatives.
The Commonwealth Games are upon us and I’ll be following the Lawn Bowls with great interest. Why? Because Jamaica make their debut in the sport – as a direct result of a Voice of Sport reader’s vision and determination.
Andrew Newell reached out to me just over four years ago. He wanted to get more coverage of lawn bowls across the sports media. He felt it was a fantastic sport that so many had access to, through their local parks, but the game’s image – as being for “old” folks – was putting people off. He wanted to help attract younger players and encourage those from the black community to get involved.
The South Londoner told me about how he planned to take Jamaica to the Commonwealth Games – and after a few more conversations he invited me to try the sport myself. So I did. And much to my surprise… I loved it!
Just a few weeks later I found myself in the Jamaica strip playing against Pakistan and a selection of some of the best players in the UK, at the Glasgow Games Lawn Bowls venue. Suffice to say, I didn’t leave that tournament with a medal – but after only narrowly losing on a number of occasions I could see the Jamaica team would not look out of place on a global stage.
I returned to writing and making television and Andrew got back to making his lawn bowls dream a reality. He reached out to everyone and anyone who could help him get Jamaica to the Commonwealth Games in Australia. He was relentless. And through hard work, determination and perseverance he has delivered.
So when he and teammate Mervyn Edwards – a veteran of the sport from Birmingham – step out onto the greens of the Gold Coast, please take inspiration from the Jamaica Lawn Bowls story regardless of how the results go.
Also know that this is a sport for everyone – and I am delighted to add that on every occasion I’ve played – the clubs and people involved in lawn bowls could not have been more welcoming or helpful. Give it a go – who knows you may even find yourself at the next Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
*This column was first published in The Voice Newspaper.
Recipients of FBL awards in the Community section
Nominations for the Football Black List 2018 are officially open and we are excited about who the initiative – which is 10 years old this year – will help to shine a light on.
Managers, coaches, senior administrators, players, community and grassroots heroes, fans, campaigners, practitioners, lawyers and journalists have comprised the lists since 2008 – highlighting the incredible contribution of black people to the game.
The initiative is now high profile, widely recognised and supported by the game at all levels – as well as the community. We are very proud of how far the Football Black List has come. However, we want to ensure the list continues to flourish and remains relevant and inclusive.
An immediate improvement is addressing noticeable under- representation in some areas of the list. For example, since Uriah Rennie retired in 2009 we haven’t seen a referee included. This is something I will write about in more detail over the coming weeks – but where are the black refs? Do we really not have one across professional football? If that is the case, should the initiative be highlighting the next highest ranking official?
Another area where representation on the list has been low is in the board room. Dame Heather Rabbatts has been our highest ranking club official over – when she was Executive Deputy Chair of Millwall Football Club. In that time we have had very few other board members at clubs featured on the list, underlining the challenge ahead for the community in this area.
We also want the list to be more diverse. Encouragingly, the numbers of women has increased over the years but there is still some way to go. And while we have been pleased to see those with disabilities and members of the LGBT community on the list, we still want to see much greater diversity.
Of course, the challenges we face with the list only highlight where the black community is in the game. We don’t have significant representation at board level or in refereeing, and football still lacks a genuinely diverse workforce. The Football Black List, by highlighting the range of jobs in the game and role models to aspire to, is a proactive response in helping to address this.
But to create the most inclusive and genuinely representative list we need nominations that are reflective of the outstanding individuals across the game. We won’t know everyone out there – particularly at community and grassroots level. So please do not be shy.
Judging the nominations and pulling together the Football Black List is a huge challenge that has never been easy. This year we want the community and football family to give the panel of judges their hardest task ever.
Get nominating and let’s highlight and celebrate those leading the way!
HOW TO NOMINATE
ANYONE can be nominated for the Football Black List. They just need to work or be active in football. You can even nominate yourself.
The categories for nominations are: Administration, Community and Grassroots, Players (for Off the field work), Media, Practitioners, Coaching and Management, Commercial and Ugo Ehiogu’s Ones To Watch (Under 30 and excellent).
Email nominations to info@footballblacklist.com
CLOSING DATE: 27th April 2018
Christian Atsu with young children he is supporting in Ghana
Christian Atsu is crying. A silence sweeps over the room and the semi circle of journalists sat opposite the Newcastle and Ghana winger are at a loss for words. This is a rare moment in football. Footballers are rarely moved to tears in this way and the reason transcends the sport.
The 26 year-old is on a mission to help kids in his native Ghana who have become orphans. He’s putting his heart and soul into making a difference and will hold a special gala dinner on the 14th March in Newcastle with the charity Arms Around The Child.
To promote the event he has been speaking to the media and ahead of our exclusive interview he’s broken down when the questions bring back strong memories of what he’s seen orphans go through.
“When you grow up in a difficult situation you know exactly the suffering”, he tells The Voice of Sport. “If you don’t have any support you are going to suffer for the rest of your life.”
Atsu doesn’t want to see anymore children abused, imprisoned, affected by HIV, trafficked or sold – and he is determined to use his prominence as a Premier League footballer to prevent this. He visits the children regularly and cares greatly for them.
“I want to show love to the kids and that’s why I’m very involved in charity work.
“They are very happy when they see me. They always look up to me, they want to become better in the future and now they believe there is life – there is hope that they can live.
“We are organising a gala dinner here in Newcastle and we want to raise funds to provide better schooling and build houses for the young people – so we can try to help solve the problems on the streets.”
Hosted by Marvin Humes, British rap artist Ramz will be performing at the event and Newcastle United’s players will be out in force to support their team mate and the charity.
The North East of England is another world compared to where Atsu grew up in Ghana’s capital Accra. When reflecting on memories from his childhood he reveals he still plays barefoot when he returns.
“I was always enjoying playing on the streets with barefoot and this stays with me even now!
“Sometimes I still play football barefoot with my friends at home. We also play on the bad pitches too – but now with boots and with other professional players when we are on holiday in Ghana.”
This summer Atsu will be watching the World Cup on the television during his holiday as Ghana failed to qualify. Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco and Tunisia are the African countries hoping to become the first to win the tournament from the continent. The Blackstar picks out Senegal, Nigeria and Egypt as sides to keep an eye on.
“When you look at the Senegal team they have Sadio Mane and deserved it (World Cup finals qualification). So with hard work I think they will do well.
“The Nigeria team have a lot of young players – very talented players – who are playing at a high level. Some are playing in La Liga, some in the Premier League and when you look at their group they won almost all of their matches. So I believe Nigeria will be one of the countries to go far in the World Cup.
“Also Egypt – they have Mohammed Salah, they have a very good coach and they play really compact. I have played against them and they are really hard to play against. I believe they can also go far.”
And what of the Blackstars? What is their focus?
“The fans were really disappointed when we couldn’t qualify for the World Cup but we have the African Nations Cup coming in 2019. We haven’t won it for 36 or 35 years now and the fans in Ghana are really angry with the Blackstars because of this.
“So for us, we want to tell them that we are working hard and preparing for the 2019 African Nations Cup – which they would prefer (we won) to the World Cup. So we are very confident that we will give them what they want.”
A confirmed victory for Atsu is his inclusion in the Best of Africa 100 Players of the Year. The BOA awards are now well established in the football calendar and the Newcastle star is a supporter.
“To be amongst the African 100 players is a great thing and I wasn’t expecting it, so it comes as a nice surprise to me.
“It’s very good for people to see we have a lot of African players doing well, so this will also help to raise the profile of African players in the Premier League.”
*Tickets for the Arms Around The Child gala dinner are £150 per person and are available from https://theblackstargala.
*For more information on Arms Around The Child visit www.armsaroundthechild.