The England Men’s Senior team make their eagerly anticipated return to Wembley Stadium this week to take on Wales in an International fixture on Thursday 8 October.
The Three Lions will then resume their UEFA Nations League campaign on Sunday 11 October with the visit of Belgium, followed by Denmark on Wednesday 14 October.
Belgium and Denmark stand as two important fixtures for Gareth Southgate’s team, who currently sit second in Group A2 with four points.
While the players will be making their first appearance under the famous arch in more than 11, challenging, months, it will be without the roar of the England faithful. We’re continuing to work with all the relevant stakeholders to welcome you back to the stadium as soon as permissible.
Supporting Equality Together
October marks Black History Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness and commemorating black history in the UK. Black History Month provides a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the outstanding contributions people of African and Caribbean descent have made to our country over many generations.
During the preceding months the conversation regarding equality and diversity has become increasingly prominent in our consciousness. We continue to be committed to addressing any and all incidents of racial injustice still taking place today.
The FA’s CEO Mark Bullingham writes: “Whilst The FA is an apolitical organisation, we have shown support for the Black Lives Matter message and share the belief that it is wholly unacceptable to treat black people disadvantageously because of the colour of their skin. For us, the message is simply about ensuring equal opportunities for all. Football’s collective response has been powerful, but the profound sense of social injustice we feel must – and will – be used as motivation to introduce meaningful and tangible change.”
For the start of Black History Month, The FA’s Steve Smithies, Butch Fazal and Lucy Pearson discuss the initiative, share their thoughts on why it’s important and announce four BHM webinars, which you can read about by clicking here.
The FA will also be launching the Football Leadership Equality Code, led by Paul Elliott, which will see clubs and organisations across the game commit to embedding greater diversity across their senior leadership teams, operations teams and coaching setups, with targets and transparent annual reports.
Fans from the England supporters’ group ‘Block 109’ were also keen to show their backing. To demonstrate that support, two banners will be in place at the front of The Home End from the Wales game onwards that will depict Viv Anderson, Laurie Cunningham, Des Walker, Raheem Sterling, Cyril Regis, Paul Ince, John Barnes and Ashley Cole.
The banners together will read ‘Our History, Our Heroes’ in a nod to some of the greatest players and trailblazers who belong to the Black Community to ever pull on the shirt.
A Small Part of you in The Home End
When the team take to the field there will be a noticeable presence in The Home End, a selection of your England banners and flags.
Over the last few years you may have noticed some spectacular fan led banners drop from the top tiers of Wembley before the match. A selection of these banners will also be placed over the seats in The Home End. Although we understand this is by no means perfect, a small part of you will be present, and visible, inside the stadium.
You will also see a small selection of England flags behind the goal in the same stand. Working closely with supporters’ group ‘Block 109’, they were able to collect and deliver a collection of personal supporters’ flags for us to hang in The Home End for the October fixtures.
We appreciate more of you may wish to do the same and, should any future fixtures also take place behind closed doors, we hope to increase the number of flags that are present inside the stadium.
