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Black History Month

Black History Month 2023

Cheshire FA is marking Black History Month by celebrating the countless contributions that black players and managers have made to English football.

We’ll be highlighting the exceptional achievements of influential figures from across the ages, from the first black professional footballer in the world to stars who continue to pave the way for future generations.

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Black History Month 2022

Cheshire FA have been proud to have played such a prominent role in supporting Black History Month 2022 and we would like to thank everyone who has played a part throughout the month.

On 10th October, we hosted a special celebration to mark Black History Month, with some fantastic guest speakers joining us at Cheshire FA HQ including former Manchester United star Quinton Fortune, Dr Colin King MBE, Kevin Yusuf Coleman (BBC/FA) and Tajean Hutton (Kick it Out). The event was a huge success, with lots of experiences shared and connections made.

Read more about the event.

In addition, we have shared stories throughout the month about what Black History Month means to different people. Thank you to Kimiyo Rickett, Lawrence Lok, Lystra Landon, Chris Barrow and Raj Randhawa for sharing their stories. 

CEO, Steve Smithies, was also invited to take part in a panel discussion with Kick it Out, talking about the importance of governance and leadership in the grassroots game. You can check out the full video here:

 

Finally, you can take a look at our video showing a summary of what a special Black History Month it has been, below:

 

Black History Month 2021

Throughout the month of October, Cheshire FA was once again proud to acknowledge the incredible impact and contribution made by the Black community across football in our region, as we celebrated Black History Month.

With COVID-19 putting a pause on the ability to host our annual Black History Month event in 2020, we were delighted to welcome the event back this year. 

Taking place on 11 October at Cheshire FA, we were delighted to welcome people from across the local, regional and national footballing community from all backgrounds.

Those in attendance were treated to some fantastic talks delivered by our guest speakers, who included Edleen John, The FA’s International, Corporate Affairs and Co-Partner for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director; John Folwell, The FA’s Head of Grassroots Coach Development; Raj Randhawa, Northern Grassroots Officer for Kick It Out; former England international forward, Emile Heskey, and former Barbados international defender, Emmerson Boyce.

In addition to the talks delivered, a panel discussion also took place that involved Kimiyo Rickett, Cheshire FA Inclusion Advisory Board Member; Asad Qureshi of Sport England, Dr. Colin King, Les Howie and Edleen.

The whole evening provided those in attendance an opportunity to celebrate Black History Month, as well as the various positive contributions through the speakers on the night, that we have made both in football and the wider society.

On the evening, we spoke to three people in attendance who kindly shared what Black History Month means to them. Take a look at the video below.

 
Across the month, Cheshire FA also published a series of articles which brought to life additional perspectives of why Black History Month is such an important time to celebrate.

 

Kimiyo and Ugo

Sarah and Chris

“We would like to extend a really big thanks to everyone who supported this year’s Black History Month,” said Steve Smithies, CEO of Cheshire FA.

“For me, personally, I am really proud that Cheshire FA is a County FA that celebrates and embraces inclusion across the game.”

OUR WORK CONTINUES

Whilst Black History Month may be over, Cheshire FA will be working in partnership with the new FA Regional Coach Development Officers to continue to offer support to coaches of all levels within the grassroots game in Cheshire.

We are looking to introduce a localised coach development offer that will involve the delivery of local events and workshops, and provide targeted support for female and Black and Asian coaches, in addition to a variety of other opportunities to support ALL coaches.

Please click here to find out more about this coach development offer and the events we’re hosting – and keep an eye on our dedicated coach education Twitter feed - @CCFACoaches