20-Year Anniversary Highlights

In 2013, Kick It Out celebrated the 20-year anniversary of its inception, launching its inaugural ‘Season of Action’ to mark two decades of campaigning for a game completely free of prejudice, hatred and discrimination.

Below are some of the highlights from the year as the organisation looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead over the next 20 years.

 

  • An interview with Lord Herman Ouseley, Kick It Out's Chair

    Lord-Herman-Ouseley-InterviewLord Herman Ouseley founded Kick It Out in 1993 and remains the Chair of the organisation.

    To mark 20 years of groundbreaking work tackling discrimination in football, Lord Ouseley spoke to www.kickitout.org about the launch of the campaign, the early resistance to its formation, the key initiatives which have raised its profile and the challenges which still need to be overcome.

    Read the full interview here.

  • Microsite

    20-year-micrositeAs the first ‘Season of Action’ came to a close in May 2014, the organisation developed a microsite highlighting key landmarks from throughout its history.

    The microsite uses a wide variety of online articles, stats, iconic images and video content to display the impact of Kick It Out since the organisation’s inception under its original title, ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football’, in 1993.

    Charting the evolution of the ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football’ campaign from an eight-point plan of action to a fully-comprehensive organisation tackling all forms of discrimination, the microsite is a must-use resource for anyone interested in the past, present and future of Kick It Out, as well as being a valuable teaching aid for schools and grassroots clubs alike.

    Read more about Kick It Out’s 20th Anniversary Microsite here.

  • 'Next 20' Ambassadors

    Lukaku-MerchandiseKick It Out’s ‘Next 20’ initiative, which launched in October 2013, sees 20 young football stars from across the Premier League, Football League and Women’s Super League (WSL) spreading key messages of equality and inclusion.

    The ‘Next 20’ formed part of Kick It Out’s 20-year anniversary celebrations and has given the ambassadors the opportunity to raise awareness of the organisation by engaging with the younger members of their local community. The initiative continues to this day with the ‘Next 20’ ambassadors supporting Kick It Out’s work at events throughout the season.

    Find out which players are part of the ‘Next 20’ team and read about the initiative here.

  • Lord Ouseley's 20-year Anniversary Dinner programme notes

    Lord Herman Ouseley, Chair and founder of Kick It Out, wrote an analysis of discrimination and exclusion in football in England which featured in the programme for Kick It Out’s 20 year anniversary dinner on Tuesday 20 May 2014.

    Lord Ouseley focuses on the need for leadership and responsibility from the key decision-makers in football, and looks at the continued presence of discrimination in the game.

    You can read the extensive analysis in full here.

  • Transformation of the Kick It Out logo

    KIO-Old-LogoThe original Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football logo was designed by Louis Mackay. As Kick It Out marked its 20-year anniversary by changing its official branding to reflect its commitment to tackling all forms of discrimination, Louis spoke to www.kickitout.org about the history of the original logo, the colour scheme and the design ideas behind it.

    Read more about the full interview with Louis Mackay here.

    Kick It Out logoThe brand new logo was launched on 17 July 2014. The iconic ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football’ branding – which had become globally recognised since the organisation’s inception in 1993 – was replaced with the slogan ‘Kick It Out – Tackling Racism & Discrimination’.

    The decision to make the shift came as Kick It Out sought to make its logo more reflective of the breadth of its work across football. The organisation was initially launched to combat racism throughout the game before broadening its remit to tackle all forms of discrimination when Kick It Out was formally constituted in 1997.

    Read more about the new logo and have the chance to download it here.

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"We have a responsibility as players to give something back and I’m really thankful to be part of this organisation because we can do a lot of good."
Jack Butland, 'Next 20' Ambassador
“A big part of my involvement with Kick It Out stems from my strong admiration for the organisation’s commitment to fairness and equality.”
Clive Tyldesley, football commentator
“It was Kick It Out that convinced the people in football that change was possible.”
Greg Dyke, former FA chairman
“I wanted to thank the campaigners at Kick It Out for their work. I know first-hand how Kick It Out can help.”
Yaya Toure, Manchester City midfielder
“It is important for me in my role as a Kick It Out ‘Next 20’ ambassador to teach young people how to handle discrimination and treat people with respect.”
Romelu Lukaku, 'Next 20' Ambassador
“It is a massive honour for me to be an ambassador for such a great organisation. I think they do great work on and off the field.”
Toni Duggan, 'Next 20' Ambassador
"It really helped me to see that other professional sports people were acknowledging their sexuality. I read about John Amaechi, Gareth Thomas and Tom Daley. They weren't footballers but the fact that they went public gave me the feeling that I was not alone."
Thomas Hitzlsperger, former Aston Villa midfielder
"There was no conflict between religion and the fact that I wanted to play football. I was brought up correctly and in the right way and my parents are very proud of the fact that I am a professional footballer."
Sadio Mané, Liverpool winger
“I think it’s important to share success stories and realise that there are women operating in the game. If it’s something you want to do, you can do it.”
Ffion Eade, Hampshire FA referee
"I've had loads of negative comments from men, especially growing up. It's just boring and old. Times have changed, and they continue to change. Women play football, and they're good at it, and have been for a number of years.”
Kelly Smith, England Women's record goalscorer
"Despite the progress, stereotypes still exist in football and until that is broken down it will be extremely difficult for a woman to manage a top level men's team."
Rachel Yankey, former Arsenal Ladies forward
"There’s no hiding that there is sexism in sport. We have a lack of women right across all levels of management, playing and coaching. It shows the closed nature of sport in general and this includes the media. It’s an indictment of sport as a whole."
Rimla Akhtar, Kick It Out trustee and Chair of the Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation
“I’m proud to be a supporter of Kick It Out and particularly the work they are doing to combat antisemitism within football.”
Joe Jacobson, Wycombe Wanderers midfielder
"With Kick It Out leading the way football is standing up and fighting against those who preach hatred and intolerance and we at Chelsea are proud to support their work."
Bruce Buck, Chelsea Football Club Chairman