Steve Smithies: a movement, not a moment
- Steve Smithies
- 30 November 2020
Steve Smithies, FA national coach development lead for diversity and inclusion, reflects on our Black History Month activities and outlines the plans moving forward.
Black History Month 2020 was a big success with some great webinars and information being shared about black history, the challenges people have faced, the solutions we can all contribute to and the successes we've had. We started the month with an inspiring webinar with Luther Blissett and Viv Anderson, who told some great stories about playing for Brian Clough, representing England as pioneers and facing up to racism in society head-on through the power of football.
Our second webinar featured Emile Heskey and Troy Townsend. Their expertise and professionalism came shining through as Butch Fazal, FA coach inclusion and diversity manager, guided them through their discussions.
In this webinar, Heskey discussed his career, aspirations and the impact of modern-day players beyond the pitch. Townsend then talked about how he's continuing to raise awareness and increase understanding of some of the key issues players are facing daily.
I'm truly inspired, motivated and refreshed about my purpose and what it is that I want to contribute to the game
Our third webinar featured Quinton Fortune, Jason Roberts and Darren Moore. Here we heard about overcoming barriers, striving for excellence and recognising that success is a moving target.
The fourth and final webinar was with Hope Powell, Coreen Brown and Alena Moulton. This was another powerful and deep dive into the challenges that black and Asian female coaches often face. It was also great to see and hear from successful female coaches who've overcome barriers and are inspiring others to do the same.
Took so much away from all the webinars, it was so good to see black and Asian coaches given a platform to share their stories
Being part of the webinars was enjoyable as they allowed us to listen to the voices and experiences of a wide range of professional, determined and inspiring people.
We were also able to share the details of the exciting new FA coach developers who are committed to supporting black and Asian coaches across the country.
There were also some good pieces across our platforms highlighting the aforementioned D&I team and the role models that are there to support coaches and hopefully inspire future generations.
I hope we continue to inspire, educate and guide the communities we serve and embrace diversity throughout the year and not just October
In the future, the D&I coach development officers will be providing regular monthly features, blogs and webinars to support and highlight black and Asian coaches. We're particularly keen to help them overcome any barriers or feelings of isolation.
We aim to help them to become an integral part of the grassroots football coaching family by removing stubborn inequality's and ensuring that football is accessible for all.
Our key strategic objective is to ensure that Black History Month becomes, as Butch Fazal says, “a movement, not a moment”. We want to bring our work to life every month with a keen focus on the following:
Visibility
We need to be seen, it's essential we show our determination to recognise, support and value coaches as early as possible.
Presence We need to be progressive in our willingness to connect, understand and engage across communities.
Availability
We need to be consistent, honest and authentic in our support. Connect with what the insight tells us and do it smarter; digitally, in communities of practice as well as face to face.
This year has been a challenging time for the whole of society, and we recognise that football plays a positive part in many people's lives.
We're determined to support ethnically diverse communities and underrepresented groups so that football is, and continues to be, accessible for all.
