London Lions coach on racism as Sporting Equals launch new panel
London Lions coach Vince Macaulay talks to his players (pic Graham Hodges) - Credit: Archant
Sporting Equals have launched a Sports Monitoring Advisory Panel in an effort to hold publicly funded sporting bodies to account on their pledges to improve the experience of black communities in the sport and physical activity sector.
The advisory panel, made up of former athletes, coaches and professionals within the BAME community, aims to ensure that the progress made over the past year to tackle racism and social inequality across the sporting world continues remains a top priority going forward.
The past few weeks has seen racism towards our sporting icons flood the headlines once again. From Premier League stars Marcus Rashford and Reece James facing abuse on social media, to the players of the British Basketball League’s Glasgow Rocks being targeted with racial and physical attacks near their homes, highlighting the apparent racism still present in sport and that more needs to be done to tackle the issue head on.
Vince Macaulay, Head Coach of one of the UK’s most diverse sports team, the London Lions, discusses racism in sport and what is being done to tackle the issue head on.
“Although the past year has been a transformative one, it's now more important than ever, especially as we reintroduce fans back into the stands across the country, that the progress made so far continues and we venture forward.
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“The sporting bodies here in the UK have a duty of making sport a platform of diversity, inclusivity and opportunity, in order to see it thrive in the future.
“This new advisory panel is welcome news for many within the sporting arena and a step in the right direction to holding the organisations accountable to pursuing the changes they set out to make when the Black Lives Matter campaign first began.
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“We at the London Lions have made it our number one goal to see that racism towards our players and fans is stopped. As we look to get out fans back in the stadium this year, it is a priority that we ensure their return is as safe as possible, and we are not just talking about Covid.
“Fans should feel welcomed and be able to watch their favourite sports team in a safe environment and the fact that many are still hesitant to attend is a major concern.”
