Club, Chicago Bears and Premier League unite in support of No Room For Racism

The Club today joined forces with the Premier League and the Chicago Bears to educate and inform primary schoolchildren around the League’s No Room For Racism initiative.

Around 30 children from Lea Valley Primary School in Tottenham attended an informal panel event hosted in the Press Auditorium at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The panel followed workshops in which the students learned about the power of diversity in sport and the importance of being an ally in the fight against racism by utilising the Premier League Primary Stars resources on the topic.

Premier League Primary Stars inspires children to learn through the power of football in more than 19,000 primary schools across England and Wales. The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has worked with 14 primary schools in Haringey and Enfield, including Lea Valley, to engage and inspire students and teachers through their love of football, as well as promoting Premier League values.

The children had the opportunity to ask questions to legends from each of the two featured clubs – former Spurs captain Ledley King and ex-Bears’ defensive back Jerry Azumah.

The questions centred around the topic of allyship and drew on experiences from the two athletes’ own careers, whilst also touching on the importance of speaking out against racism publicly.

Romero, 9, said: “My favourite part of today was meeting Jerry and Ledley but, at the same time, we learned a lot about No Room For Racism. I learned that we should always be available to help anyone who is facing discrimination in life. If anyone is facing racist comments, the first thing you should do is go over and ask if they’re okay.”

Ledley King said: “Today has been a great way to mark the Premier League’s No Room For Racism initiative. It is important as former athletes that we use our voice to promote a more tolerant and inclusive world, and I was delighted to share a platform with Jerry to discuss this topic as well as our own experiences with the students.”

Jerry Azumah said: “When I started to play organised sports, I was mindful of racism, while also feeling welcomed because of the melting pot that I witnessed when I started playing American football. By the time I came to the NFL, I wanted to be great on the field so I could use my platform when I retired in support of social justice issues. As we celebrate Black History Month and the diversity strides made in sports, I am happy to play a small part today, on behalf of my former team, the Chicago Bears, speaking about the importance of challenging racism.”

No Room For Racism is marked across all Premier League matches between 19-27 October. This falls within the UK’s Black History Month, which this year has the theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’, focusing on honouring Black stories and culture.

The ongoing No Room For Racism initiative brings together all the work the Premier League and clubs undertake to tackle discrimination and promote equality. In February 2021, the League launched its No Room For Racism Action Plan, which outlines a series of commitments and targets to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and improve pathways for players, coaches and others working in the game from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

In April, a three-year update showed the progress being made and work carried out year-round in line with the key pillars of the Action Plan.

Andrew Wands, Education Manager at Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “It was fantastic to be able to put this event on today and see the children so engaged. Premier League Primary Stars is all about using the appeal of football to inspire schoolchildren around the League’s values, such as equality and diversity, and the children loved the opportunity to put questions on this topic to two legends in Ledley and Jerry.”

Micaeh Johnson, Director of Corporate Communications at Chicago Bears, said: “Chicago Bears care deeply about their local community and fan base, so when coming to the UK it was important to continue the work to inspire positive change. Chicago Bears run similar education-based programmes in the United States, so the collaboration with the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur was the perfect opportunity in Haringey to continue the discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion.”

This Sunday, 13 October, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host the second of a double-header in the 2024 NFL London Games when the Chicago Bears take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at 2.30pm BST.