Football, since the end of the 19th Century, has been one of the United Kingdom’s most popular sporting activities. Millions of people partake in, and spectate[i], the game every weekend during the football season while media coverage (both formal and informal) allows saturated coverage to satisfy even the most fanatical follower of the sport.
Football has often reflected societies’ prevalent fads and fashions, politics, beliefs and even prejudices. In an age where football clubs now often re-assess and evaluate their corporate responsibility and role in their community, football associations and clubs have accepted that their role in combating common prejudices is a key one.
However, there has been little consistency, and even less debate, over how associations can tackle prejudice and what forms of prejudice should be tackled.
The ‘Football, Education and Prejudice’ programme seeks to actively redress this issue and form a much more measured and targeted response as to how football, collectively between supporters, associations and clubs, can tackle forms of prejudice together with the assistance of relevant stakeholders, particularly in the various educational sectors.
[i] http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2012/04/02/revealed-the-most-dedicated-football-nations-the-faroes-iceland-cyprus-scotland-and-england-020403/ (accessed 21/08/2015)
football education prejudice 