Football’s Black List

 by Leon Mann

Football’s Black List 2014

photo copy 6Football’s Black List, an initiative highlighting the most influential individuals from the black community in the game, has today been revealed in The Voice Newspaper.

 

The list includes Heather Rabbatts CBE, the first BAME person to sit on The FA Board; Jason Roberts MBE, the recently retired footballer playing a key role in the media and through corporate governance initiative – Sport On Board; and Stephen Lyle – programme editor of BBC Sport’s Match Of The Day 2.

 

Current players including Liverpool’s Kolo Toure, who sits on the Professional Footballers’ Association management committee, and Arsenal and England star, Rachel Yankey OBE, who runs her own successful football academy, also make the list.

 

Founded by myself and Rodney Hinds, the initiative seeks to shine a light on the achievements of the black community in football – but away from the pitch. The Black List also provides a moment to reflect on how diverse the football’s industry is and discuss the under representation of people from African Caribbean backgrounds.

 

Sports reporter Jess Creighton, former Birmingham and Jamaican international footballer, Michael Johnson joined Mann and Hinds on the judging panel who decided the final list.

 

This is the sixth Black List and there are plans to hold an awards evening later in the year.

 

Football’s Black List:

MEDIA

  • Stephen Lyle, Editor – MOTD2
  • Stan Collymore, Broadcaster – TalkSport
  • Samantha Johnson, Presenter – The Sun Online
  • Natasha Henry, Sports writer – The Voice Newspaper
  • Adrian Kajumba, Football Writer – Daily Star

 

ADMINISTRATION

  • Michael Emenalo, Technical Director – Chelsea FC
  • Patrick Vieira, Football Development Executive – Manchester City FC
  • Heather Rabbatts CBE, Chair of FA Inclusion Advisory Board – The FA
  • Bobby Barnes, Deputy Chief Executive – PFA
  • Lord Ouseley, Chairman – Kick It Out

 

MANAGEMENT/COACHING

  • Chris Ramsey, First team coach – Tottenham Hotspur FC
  • Les Ferdinand MBE, First team coach – Tottenham Hotspur FC
  • Chris Powell, Former Charlton Athletic Manager
  • Jason Euell, Senior Development Coach – Charlton Athletic FC
  • Chris Hughton, Former Norwich City Manager

 

COMMERCIAL

  • Ray James, Senior Sales Manager – Manchester City FC
  • Aidy Ward, Football Advisor
  • Francis Nkwain, Football Advisor
  • Andy Ansah, Sports Choreographer
  • Karl George MBE, Corporate Governance Practitioner

 

COMMUNITY

  • Les Fevrier, for his community work in Hackney
  • Troy Townsend, Mentoring Manager – Kick It Out
  • Trevor Hutton, AFC Wembley
  • Jason Roberts, Chief Executive – Jason Roberts Foundation
  • Shaun Campbell, Founder – Arthur Wharton Foundation

 

PLAYERS

  • Yaya Toure, Manchester City FC – for speaking out about lack of recognition for African players
  • Kolo Toure, Liverpool FC – PFA Management Committee member
  • Rachel Yankey OBE, Arsenal and England – runs successful Rachel Yankey Academy
  • Jermain Defoe, Toronto FC – for his work with the Jermain Defoe Foundation
  • Lianne Sanderson, Boston Breakers and England – founder of the JoLi Academy
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 by Leon Mann

Why We Still Need Football’s Black List

Black List Awards 2010It’s the end of the season, so time for Football’s Black List to be revealed.

 

The list highlights those who the black community sees as its most influential and powerful in the game. It is divided into the following sections – coaching and management, community and grassroots, commercial, administration, media and players contributions off the pitch (charity work, sitting on boards etc).

 

It is a democratic voting system that decides the final list. The judges this year were myself and Rodney Hinds – as founders, sports reporter Jess Creighton, and former footballer Michael Johnson. The judges all submitted their lists separately.

 

I personally found it very difficult to come up with my own list. And, as with all the judges, not everyone we put forward individually made the final list. There are so many deserving people from the community – but I hope, in time, everyone feels rightly recognized.

 

Every year there are those who suggest the list is divisive as it only celebrates black achievement. So let me explain… The minority experience in many walks of life is different to what many others face. In football it is particularly hard. The lack of diversity across the football industry – away from the pitch – reflects this reality.

 

One day there may be no need to recognize a minority struggle – but today there most certainly is. If you are struggling to understand this, then it may be because you find it hard to connect with being a minority. If you are a minority who would prefer not to talk about struggles – then I will not judge you – but I ask that in turn you leave others to address these issues in their own way too.

 

We have had non-black people celebrated at the Black List Awards in the past and will continue to do so. All contributions to the struggles the black community face in football are hugely appreciated.

 

However, the Black List is designed to celebrate talented people from the black community, make them more visible and, in the process, inspire others to join the industry and help address huge under representation.

 

The very concept of a Black List can be uncomfortable, but I won’t apologise for that – the alternative is we all sit back, shake our heads about a problem and do nothing for fear of a difficult conversation. Instead I’d prefer we get real, understand diversity is not a threat and show some serious commitment to achieving genuine equality across football.

 

— Football’s Black List will be revealed in The Voice Newspaper on 15th May 2014 —

 

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 by Leon Mann

Football’s Black List – A Catalyst For Conversation

Football’s Black List has landed and judging by the comments on my twitter timeline, it has made an impact.

I thought it best to use my column to address some of the issues raised, and where better to start than with The Daily Mirror’s story.

On the face of it the paper asked a good question. How could the panel leave out Ashley Cole, given he had become the first black player to win 100 caps for England? The answer is pretty simple. The initiative is about what members of our community are doing OFF the pitch.

I hope this answers the Chelsea fans that suspected I was an Arsenal supporter and had an anti-Ashley agenda!

On a serious note, having spent time with the England left back in New York a couple of seasons ago, I can assure anyone reading this that there is no agenda here. Google ‘Ashley + Cole + Leon + Mann’ if you don’t believe me. And who knows? If the panel agree, it may well be fitting to celebrate his remarkable achievement ON the pitch at the awards evening later in the year.

While the majority of responses to the list were very positive, a large number of people asked if it would it be racist to have a White List? Suggesting the Black List is a negative thing because they feel it encourages segregation.

To answer this best, here is my three-step rationale for any list that hopes to help football become more diverse.

1) Is the group or community you wish to celebrate under represented in the areas you are highlighting? If yes, proceed.

2) Would the list, celebrating role models from that group or community, help to encourage others to strive for jobs, in an attempt to address under representation? If yes, proceed.

3) Would an awards evening only celebrate the contributions of one group or community, to the success of the under represented group? If no, (the Black List has awarded non-African Caribbean people regularly) I strongly believe you have an initiative that can help to make a difference.

– The Leon Mann column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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 by Leon Mann

The Toughest Black List Ever!

Football’s Black List is soon to be exclusively published in The Voice of Sport’s pages and boy do we need it!

It has been a turbulent 18 months or so for the black community in football, arguably the worst since bananas were routinely thrown at our players.

The blows just kept coming – thick and fast – from incidents of racist abuse on the pitch, to personal issues between former players being leaked to cause damage and division.

But while some have taken their opportunity to stick the boot in during this period, our community has actually become stronger. New voices have emerged to speak out about racism in football and self-organisation across all levels of the sport has stepped up.

That is why this year’s Black List isn’t just about the most recognised or powerful black people in football, but also those who the community feels it should pay tribute to for how they represented them in troubled times.

The list will be smaller too. Five names will be selected for the following categories – Administration, Community, Commercial, Players, Management and Coaching, and Media.

For greater transparency, the list of 30 will be compiled with the help of a panel of football experts.

As founders of the list, myself and Voice of Sport editor, Rodney Hinds will chair a group including Reading striker, Jason Roberts MBE, Chelsea and England Womens, Eniola Aluko, academic and community activist, Dr Colin King, diversity expert, Michelle Moore, Football Against Racism in Europe director, Piara Powar and football advisor, Francis Nkwain.

Trust me, this has been THE HARDEST list I have been involved in putting together.

When we first launched the Black List in 2008 it wrote itself in many ways. The candidates seemed fairly obvious. But now, so many leaders and talented individuals have risen up in their respective fields.

For further transparency – you can see there is a theme developing here – we have also taken the step of asking the public to decide who picks up the prizes when the 30 come together for the Black List Awards.

The list is very much there for the community, so we strongly believe it is only right that you chose who you would like to reward.

– The Leon Mann column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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