Aston Villa marks Black History Month

Aston Villa have marked and celebrated Black History Month in a number of ways during the course of October.

From men’s and women’s first teams through to our Academy and RTC players, the club have been embracing the opportunity to celebrate Black history and achievements.

Here’s a round-up of our Black History Month activities…

On Social Media

To include Villa supporters and kick-off Black History Month, a special video was produced recognising the integral part Black players have played in the club’s history.

Former players like Paul McGrath, Tony Daley and Jade Richards were seen alongside current Villans like Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Elisha N’Dow.

During the month, club historian Rob Bishop brought fans the story of Villa’s first Black player, Willie Clarke.

Dispelling the notion that it was Stan Horne, Bishop told Clarke’s story and how he joined the club in 1901.

Read his article here.

Aston Villa Women players and staff used their personal social media accounts to profile individuals who have inspired them through their own legacy and impact on society.

People like Mary Seacole, Craig David, Ian Wright and Rosa Parks were highlighted for their work, with players taking it in turns to post each day throughout October.

Campaigns

Aston Villa publicly backed the next phase of the Premier League’s No Room For Racism campaign earlier in October.

Sending a strong message that the League and its clubs will not tolerate racist behaviour anywhere, we urged fans to challenge and report racism wherever it takes place, encouraging behavioural change in football and wider society.

Tyrone Mings was one of a number of players to feature in a Premier League video, which calls on supporters to 'Challenge it, report it, change it.'

Aston Villa Women came together with other FA Women’s Super League sides to support Kick It Out’s ‘Take A Stand’ initiative.

It is a call to action initiative, encouraging people across the football community to take an action or make a pledge, in the fight against discrimination.

In the pursuit of equal opportunities across the club, Aston Villa also signed The FA’s Football Leadership Diversity Code.

The code focuses on increasing equality of opportunity with hiring targets – rather than quotas – to encourage recruitment from across society. Hiring will be based on merit, to find the best person for the job from diverse talent pipelines.

We also asked fans to take part in our Equality and Diversity survey, which you can fill out here.

In The Community

The Aston Villa Foundation work with a diverse range of people from across the city, and they’ve been embracing Black History Month via their programmes, which include interventions, schools and health and wellbeing.

Foundation Coach Dru Nicholls shared his experiences growing up as a young Black man with participants at the Foundation’s Dementia Café.

He said afterwards: “A participant spoke about their personal experience and Cyrille Regis and his campaign for equality.

“I feel it is very important that we speak about all the important figures who play a key role in helping us remember the history of Black people, not just the people you’re taught about in school. 

“Black history month is even more important this year with everything that has happened, and I feel it was fitting to have this discussion and share other personal experiences with the dementia café group in order to celebrate Black, British history.”

In The Academy

The club’s junior players, from both the Academy and Women’s RTC, have been recognising Black History Month.

Activities have included creating and sharing short videos around what Black history means to them and their family, and highlighting the work of a Black trailblazer or role model.

The club’s Equality and Diversity Officer, Lucy Keeling, is delighted to have seen the month embraced by all areas of the club.

She said: “Throughout Black History Month and throughout the season, positive work has taken place across the club to raise awareness, educate and celebrate the contribution of Black people throughout history.

“Honest and personal experiences have been shared in community sessions between coaches and participants whereby pioneering black players such as Cyrille Regis have been discussed in relation to current events. 

“Elsewhere awareness on pioneering Black role models has been shared through our Academy and through our Women’s channels and this will continue across the whole season.  

“As a Club we are proud of our rich and diverse history and will continue to take opportunities to make our Club more inclusive for everyone through collaborations with the FA, Kick It Out and the Premier League.”