Aston Villa’s October fixtures against Wolves and Arsenal will proudly support the Premier League’s No Room For Racism campaign.
All Premier League matches taking place between October 16-24 will again be dedicated to No Room For Racism, as the League and clubs continue to urge fans to challenge and report discriminatory behaviour wherever they see it.
Villa’s home clash against midlands neighbours Wolves on Saturday at Villa Park will feature No Room For Racism messaging, with on-pitch activation, family Fun Zone activities and supporting content from both clubs, the Premier League and partners.
Since launching in 2019, No Room For Racism has brought together the work of the Premier League and its clubs against racial discrimination and the shared commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. This work is underpinned by the No Room For Racism Action plan.
The League has this year released a video to reinforce the message that there is no place for racist abuse and that fans can play a key role in the fight against discrimination.
The video reminds supporters that the introduction of League-wide sanctions at the start of the 2021/22 season means that anybody found guilty of racist abuse, whether it occurs within stadiums or online, will be permanently banned from all Premier League grounds.
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Enhanced training for matchday stewards is helping ensure they are equipped to respond to discriminatory abuse and assist in gathering evidence to ban perpetrators.
To further support the League’s long-term commitment to address racism in football and wider society, first-team players have helped create new education resources, which will be made available to primary and secondary schools.
The Premier League continues to work alongside other authorities and organisations within the game to tackle online hate, lobbying government and challenging social media companies to eliminate abuse on their platforms.
Through its online reporting system, the League supports any players, managers and their families who receive discriminatory abuse. A dedicated team investigates cases to identify perpetrators, with legal action taken when required. Since 2019, the Premier League has been proactively monitoring social media platforms and has reported thousands of items of abusive content to social media companies for removal.
For more information on the Premier League’s No Room For Racism Action Plan, education resources and for guidance on how to report racism, click here.
Aston Villa would like to remind supporters about our values and commitment, through the club’s All In initiative, which was launched in 2018, to creating a welcoming environment for Villans from every background.
We actively celebrate the diversity of our local area, supporters and city and we encourage all fans to call out discriminatory language and behaviour.
We will also continue our work with West Midlands Police Hate Crime unit to tackle this issue.
To find out more information about specific hate crime reporting, click here.
Matchday reporting
If you witness discriminatory behaviour at a match or around a stadium, please report it to the police or a steward.
Supporters at Villa Park can text REPORT to 60060 along with the location of the incident and details of what you have witnessed using one of the key words below to enable a prompt response.
The text line also includes the reporting of any safeguarding concerns.
The text service will be supported by our security team and West Midlands Police. Each text costs one standard message at your network rate. The club may share your details with West Midlands Police if further information is required to assist with a criminal prosecution.
You can also report discrimination by using the Kick It Out reporting app (download the app on iOS or Android) or via Kick It Out's website.
In addition, we support the Premier League’s protocol for reporting discrimination on social media, click here.
Do your bit to ensure Villa Park is a welcoming place for all.
