Adrian Mariappa to take centre stage at 'One Game Watford' event.
Grassroots football will be the focus on Monday night as Vicarage Road plays host to 'One Game Watford', a community forum held in conjunction with Kick It Out.
Fans, coaches and aspiring players are urged to join vice-captain Adrian Mariappa, youngster Piero Mingoia, Hornets legend Ian Bolton and former England full-back Earl Barrett, in the Elton John suite to discuss a range of topics affecting local football.
The club, currently riding high in the Championship, is looking to glean some of this on-field success into strong outreach off it. The forum - free, open to all and with refreshments provided – adopts a ‘Question Time’ style format with Mariappa and co addressing questions from the floor.
“We’re delighted to welcome the Kick It Out campaign to Vicarage Road,” said academy product Mariappa. “The work it does across all areas of the game, from professional down to the grassroots, is vital in making the game as open and inclusive as possible.
“I’m keen for supporters of all ages to come along and contribute to the debate on a range of issues affecting football in our area.”
Watford’s relationship with Kick It Out harks back to the days of Luther Blissett and John Barnes, two pioneering black players who went on to become ambassadors for the campaign, in turn paving the way for a glut of black players to rise to prominence in the game throughout the 90s.
There will also be presentations and awards ceremonies taking place on the evening, while officials from the Middlesex and Hertfordshire County FAs will be in attendance to give advice on funding, volunteering and running football activities.
For further information, or to reserve a place, contact Kevin Coleman at Kick It Out via email on
kevin@kickitout.org or by calling 020 7684 4884.
