Tottenham Hotspur 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.”