I was warmly welcomed to ‘The Enclosed Ground’ on a glorious autumn day for a match between Whitehawk FC and East Grinstead Town. There is a strong tradition in this Brighton & Hove based team of tackling racism and all forms of discrimination. There was great engagement with a diversity quiz which, for the first time, went digital!
A competitive game saw the Hawks run out 2-0 winners.
It was wonderful to have many conversations about football, diversity and inclusion and a great pleasure to give away some Love Football Hate Racism badges. It was a joy to see younger people wanting to wear the LFHR t-shirts and thanks to partial funding from the Fans For Diversity campaign a delight to be able to give these away. It is so important that football clubs engage with the younger supporters and reinforce a message that football is the peoples’ games and is for everyone.
There was a lot to like at Whitehawk, a community club, lots of children, a vibrant ultra-group and on the day, I visited, a collection for a local food bank which was well supported by both teams and supporters.
