“There’s no safety net” – Louis Bamgboye

Louis Bamgboye volunteered as a Resource Assistant for Kick It Out from January to October 2014. He then joined The Football Association before an Achilles tendon injury has left him unable to work for the next six weeks. He’s written exclusively for us about his journey into football, his expectation of Kick It Out, and where he’d like to continue in the game once he’s recovered.
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I first heard of Kick It Out through Football Manager when I saw the logo before the game loaded up. I didn’t really know what Kick It Out did until they came to New Buckingham University as part of a careers day. It wasn’t until after my studies that I researched organisations that worked in and with football. As I learned more about them, they appealed to me more and more. I got in touch with a few people, including Troy Townsend, who invited me to come in and volunteer.

My expectation before I walked in was that Kick It Out was a much larger organisation than it actually is. I don’t think people realise the size of the charity – I know I didn’t when I first joined. It meant that from my first day as a Resource Assistant I was constantly working outside my usual comfort zone. Everyone does the same because there are far fewer specialists than what would be within a larger organisation with a huge workforce. It could be frustrating because when I looked at bigger organisations, the scale of resources were vastly different.

The same people that conceive ideas are also the same people that execute them, so I learned quickly how to work as part of a small team. Working at Kick It Out taught me the value of relationships within that small team. I learned how to generate ideas and also how to minimise costs as I was working for a charity. A smaller organisation, like Kick It Out, allowed me to work without a safety net, because there were a few times when I was the single point of failure.

I joined The FA in January 2015. Until I got injured, I was working at Wembley as part of their equalities team. I worked on the administration side of their managers’ re-education course. If a manager at any level of the game commits an offence relating to discrimination, this is the course they take.

I learned to not be intimidated by club officials, County FA’s, or managers themselves when I picked the phone up to contact them. Being new to the organisation allowed me to get a good overview of it and suggest new ideas and ways of working. During my time at The FA and Kick It Out I gained a real insight into football as an industry, which is really useful for the future.

That’s the industry I would like to be involved with. I really enjoyed working as part of the welfare side of the game. A perfect job for me might be working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and being a positive role model for them. Maybe that’s something that’s better suited to social care, but when I was growing up, I only really listened to my PE teacher and my football coaches. I’d like to provide inspiration and purpose for the next generation.

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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