Premier League Primary Stars has launched The Power of Positive Voices, a brand-new free assembly resource that brings the stories of Premier League players into the classroom this Black History Month.
Primary schools marking Black History Month this October can now download The Power of Positive Voices, a brand-new free assembly resource from Premier League Primary Stars that brings the stories of Premier League players into the classroom.
The assembly is the latest addition to the No Room for Racism: Black Voices pack. It was created as part of the Premier League’s No Room for Racism initiative, which encourages people to take action against discrimination and promotes greater diversity in football.
The resource uses football’s biggest role models to help pupils explore diversity, belonging, resilience and self-confidence. The players featured include:
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
- Ethan Ampadu (Leeds United)
- Alex Iwobi (Fulham)
- Lauren James (Chelsea Women)
- Wesley Fofana (Chelsea)
- Josh Dasilva (Brentford)
- and many more
Because pupils hear directly from players they recognise and admire, the assembly gives teachers an easy, engaging way to start conversations about difficult topics.
In the assembly, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk explains why representation matters: “It means a lot to me to represent my community on and off the pitch. I’m proud of being part Surinamese, part Dutch [and] it’s a good feeling to always represent what you stand for. 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, how you look.”
Leeds United’s Ethan Ampadu agrees: “I think it’s really important for young people to see role models who look like them. It can give them the confidence to grow up and try to achieve whatever they want by seeing someone who is familiar doing it first.”
For Brentford’s Josh Dasilva, schools have a vital part to play: “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.”
Fulham’s Alex Iwobi adds: “I think it’s important to include everyone from all backgrounds because football doesn’t just cater to one person, ethnicity or religion. Everyone should feel included. Football has a space for everyone.”
Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana also speaks about the responsibility players have as role models: “It’s important to educate. This is a very important role. I’m Muslim [and] I try to be a good example for my community, but also for everyone else. Everyone can learn, and I can learn from everyone, […] we need to be open-minded.”
Premier League Primary Stars resources have a strong track record here: 9 out of 10 teachers report a positive impact on pupils’ understanding of diversity and inclusion after using them. Over 83,000 teachers across England and Wales are already registered with the programme.
A Diversity Lead from a school in London explained what makes the resources work in the classroom: “…the fact that the resources are engaging, make the subject relatable and are easy to use enables us as teachers to facilitate discussions on important topics…”
Teachers can register for free and download The Power of Positive Voices here
