Young reporter Myla met Brentford players Josh Dasilva and Nathan Collins at a special Premier League Primary Stars session about fairness, equality and inclusion in football.
Pupils had a lesson with a difference this month when they met two Brentford players to talk about racism, fairness and why football is for everyone.
The session, run by Premier League Primary Stars, was part of the Premier League’s No Room for Racism campaign. Brentford’s Josh Dasilva and club captain Nathan Collins spoke to the children about their own experiences of equality, diversity and inclusion in football.
Pupil Myla, was there. Here’s what she had to say:
“Today, we learned about the Premier League’s No Room For Racism initiative and how we shouldn’t be racist to people because it isn’t fair. We also met Josh Dasilva and Nathan Collins, who is the captain of Brentford FC, and learned about their experiences of equality, diversity and inclusion in football.
“The session taught us that racism in sport is bad because you shouldn’t show kindness to one person and unkindness to someone else because of the colour of their skin.
“The number one thing I’m going to take away from today is fairness. We have to be fair to everyone in sport and in life because we’re all human and we all deserve to be treated respectfully and fairly.”
Josh Dasilva believes schools have a big part to play in stopping racism. He said: “No Room For Racism means education. In schools and at workshops, we can do better to improve knowledge about racism and how we can eradicate it from not just in football, but in everyday life as well. It doesn’t matter what skin colour you have, someone shouldn’t be put down because of something that they have no control over.”
What is No Room for Racism?
No Room for Racism is the Premier League’s campaign to tackle discrimination and celebrate diversity in football. It started in 2019 and encourages everyone to challenge and report racism wherever they see it.
This season’s campaign launched on 16 October with a new film featuring players from all 20 Premier League clubs. Every Premier League match between 17 and 25 October is dedicated to No Room for Racism, during Black History Month.
Other players taking part agree that football is for everyone. Fulham’s Alex Iwobi said: “Everyone should feel included. Football has a space for everyone.”
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk added: “I think it’s important for young people to see role models who look like them, to see that they can achieve anything. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do or how you look.”
Want to learn more?
Premier League Primary Stars has free No Room for Racism lessons for schools, which have already reached more than 510,000 children. The newest is The Power of Positive Voices, an assembly where Premier League players share their stories. Ask your teacher to find out more at plprimarystars.com.
