Aston Villa is proud to show its strong support for No Room For Racism.
All Premier League matches between February 11-19 will be dedicated to No Room For Racism, as the League and clubs reiterate their ongoing commitment to tackling discrimination and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across all areas of the game.
Players from all Premier League clubs will take the knee ahead of kick-off before each fixture to highlight unity against all forms of racism.
Matches over the next two weekends will also display No Room For Racism messaging, as the League and clubs continue to call on fans to challenge and report discriminatory behaviour wherever they see it.
Aston Villa will proudly display its support for No Room For Racism at our Premier League fixtures against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium and Arsenal at Villa Park, while Aston Villa Women continue to take the knee ahead of all matches.
This marks the two-year anniversary of the No Room For Racism Action Plan, which brings together all of the League’s work to combat discrimination and make football a more diverse and inclusive environment. Progress has been made, but there is still more that can be done.
The Premier League has announced a two-year update on its No Room For Racism Action Plan, which was launched in February 2021.
During match rounds 23-24, the League and clubs will send a clear message that discrimination will not be tolerated in football or wider society, as well as demonstrating how diversity across all areas of the game makes it stronger.
The update shows that progress has been made against all six pillars of the Action Plan, with targets set to ensure this momentum continues.
New initiatives have been introduced to embed equality and increase diversity throughout the game. This includes programmes to develop coaching and executive pathways, to ensure there are more opportunities for people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Combatting discriminatory abuse both at matches and online remains a priority for the League. The League’s online abuse monitoring system – which since 2020 has supported players who have suffered discriminatory abuse – has been made available for all Premier League clubs to utilise on their websites, providing a method for fans to report racism.
There is continued proactive work with social media companies and authorities to address the issue of online abuse. This includes running online monitoring programmes, filtering tools and helping to develop artificial intelligence systems to better detect and remove abusive comments.
For more information, visit www.premierleague.com/noroomforracism
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 discreetly text REPORT to 60060 along with the location of the incident and details of what you have witnessed.
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.
Do your bit to ensure Villa Park is a welcoming place for all.
For more information, visit AVFC Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
