Brentford star is the Romaine man as Sawyers speaks to Twickenham pupils

Wednesday 30 Nov 2016
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‘Next 20’ ambassador Romaine Sawyers joined Kick It Out at St. Mary’s Church of England Primary School on Monday 28 November to help Year 6 students find out more about equality in football and society.

The students were welcomed in to the session by Paul Mortimer, Kick It Out’s Professional Players Engagement Manager, as he spoke to them about the work of the organisation and how it aims to make football a fairer place for all.

Paul then challenged the young students on a number of topics including racism, sexism and homophobia. They were asked to consider certain scenarios which may happen in their lives and how they would react to discrimination.

Following an honest and open discussion, it was the turn of Romaine to take centre stage as he joined Paul. Romaine was then asked a number of probing questions, about his career as a footballer and how he has combatted racism and discrimination during his life.

The Brentford midfielder was also given the task of selecting his favourites from a Kick It Out art competition run by the school in the build-up to the session. After the prizes were handed out for Romaine’s favourites, he spoke about the importance of developing education around equality and diversity.

“It was a good session, and the more sessions we can do to help spread the messages of Kick It Out – the better!

“You could see that they had done their preparations prior to me and Paul coming in to speak to them, so they now have an understanding of equality and the work being done by Kick It Out, which will be vitally important as they get older.”

To find out more about the ‘Next 20’ click 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

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