From Premier League Pitches to Cricket Grounds: A Landmark Month Against Antisemitism

Following on from the milestone being hit at the end of March of every Premier League club having received training on Contemporary Antisemitism, the beginning of April was marked with a press release by the Jewish News, which put this achievement in the public eye.

On this achievement, Lord Mann commented, “Having representatives from every Premier League club receive training on contemporary antisemitism is groundbreaking in the world of sport.

“Giving club staff, players and stewards the knowledge and tools to combat antisemitism not only means they are better equipped to deal with issues should they arise, but it also creates a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for their Jewish fans.

“This milestone is the first of its kind and should be celebrated as a model of best practice. These clubs should be commended for their positive commitment to combating antisemitism.”

Despite this achievement, training sessions continued as normal, and the first delivered in the month of April was for Nottinghamshire County Football Association, whose staff team were eager to learn about the issues facing grassroots football and how they can do more for Jewish inclusion in their county.

We also delivered for the academy squads of Wigan Athletic. Their U13s and U14s squads were fully engaged in sessions about Antisemitism on the football pitch and were able to compare their previous teachings around racism in football to the training they received on the topic of Antisemitism, to become ‘upstanders’ and address any incidents as they witness or experience them.

We also were invited to Wembley Stadium for the FAs County conference, to advertise our workshop offering to any Counties who had not yet had us in to train their staff.

Having focussed primarily on football for the past 18 months, the Tackling Antisemitism in Sport project is excited for its preliminary expansion into the game of cricket, and our Project Manager was given the opportunity to visit the Jews in Cricket exhibition at the Lord’s Museum, in preparation for our first workshops in cricket, scheduled for the end of June.

At the end of the month, our Project Manager had the privilege of being a part of this years’ March of the Living, on the ‘Football Bus, bus F’. We took a lot away from this moving and meaningful experience. To read more about our experience, Click Here.