Trailblazers!

OUR Trailblazers project is a celebration of the rich diversity of players in British football, past, present and future.

The programme will uncover important, often hidden history. Trailblazers guides Premier League academy players and members of the Premier League Charitable Fund (PLCF) Kicks and Inspires groups to discover their club’s first player of Black or Asian heritage, explore their experiences, and celebrate the club’s history with supporters and the wider community.

Participants of a Kicks camp at Norton took a break from their amazing football work to take part in one such Trailblazers project.

Led by the inspirational work of the Foundation’s Jim Dyson, the participants were supported by Foundation staff in discussing who and what are trailblazers. Including researching trailblazers from different clubs and creating their own team of trailblazers.

Following this they discussed their chosen trailblazer, Middlesbrough’s own Chris Kamara, discussing how he had become a trailblazer as a player, manager and commentator. We discussed the challenges BAME people have suffered throughout the previous 200 years and how they still face challenges today.

They then discussed how we can support BAME individuals in the future and how we can be allies to them. They would all decide upon three different ways they could be allies and wrote them on a giant poster and signed it alongside Foundation staff.

Click on each of the graphics below for a larger image.