One way Clapton Community FC is marking Black History Month (BHM) this year is to amplify the voices of the Black people involved in our club and the local community past and present. 

For too long, Black history has been largely limited to slavery and the civil rights movement and told through lenses that often misrepresent, or entirely overlook the diverse stories of Black lives. 

This year’s BHM theme of Reclaiming Narratives allows us to start to reverse that by raising awareness of those untold stories and unsung heroes and to celebrate everyday Black lives.

At Clapton Community FC we believe that football can break down artificial barriers. We recognise that many Black people face barriers, discrimination and prejudice in wider society, including in our own Clapton community. That’s why your club membership requires you to own how you act and speak and to listen and reflect when challenged so we can all unlearn our own prejudices.

We recognise that our aim to create a safe and a welcoming environment where everyone can enjoy football requires action behind it, not fine words. Our newly formed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group have been working hard to embed the action that has so far been absent. Check out our new EDI policy on our website. And in the coming months, we will be working with our coaches, players, volunteers and members to roll out an action-based EDI strategy which aims for continuous improvement. 

We want to create a welcoming club that better reflects the diversity of our local community. We can only achieve this if everyone involved in our club accepts that we need to up our game and commits to playing their part in making positive changes.  

But for now, let’s focus on the many stories Black people throughout football have to tell.  Let’s give a space to the rich culture and stories of our Black players, coaches and supporters. Let’s make our club a space where we embrace furthering our mutual understanding and respect for all people and are all comfortable in challenging discrimination.