Premier League and clubs highlight the power of education during No Room For Racism match rounds

2025-10-17T14:30+01:00

The Premier League and its clubs will reiterate their commitment to tackling discrimination and highlight the importance of diversity in football over the next two weeks, with all fixtures between 18 and 26 October dedicated to No Room For Racism.

During this period, which falls within the UK’s Black History Month, the League and clubs will make it clear that racism will not be tolerated, as well as showcasing the year-round work that takes place to ensure the game is inclusive.

There is also a focus on education, with schoolchildren around the country taking part in a Premier League Primary Stars poetry-writing competition to celebrate diversity.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said, “The Premier League and our clubs strongly believe that football is for everyone. Through the No Room For Racism Action Plan, we are committed to fighting discrimination and ensuring there is greater diversity across all areas of the game.

“We remain steadfast in our belief that there is no place for racism in football and wider society. We will continue to support players and others within the game who are subjected to this unacceptable abuse, and will do all we can to ensure action is taken against those responsible.

“I am proud of all the work that underpins No Room For Racism and this will remain a priority for us. We know there is more that can be done to provide opportunities for people from all backgrounds and we will continue to reinforce the message that discrimination will not be tolerated.”

The No Room For Racism Action Plan was launched in 2021, outlining a series of targets and commitments aimed at creating greater access to opportunities and career progression for Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups in football, along with steps to eradicate racial prejudice.

A core part of this is educating young people through community programmes, encouraging discussion on the strength of diversity and the harm that is caused by discrimination.

A new No Room For Racism education resource was made available to all primary schools throughout England and Wales at the start of the academic year through the Premier League Primary Stars initiative. This has seen Premier League clubs taking part in a poetry-writing competition themed ‘Greatness Comes From Everywhere’. The competition encourages primary school pupils to celebrate diversity in all areas of life.

Premier League clubs have worked with their partner schools to run the competition and have submitted one winning poem each, with an expert judging panel determining the national Premier League competition winner.

The young person who is chosen as the winner will receive a Premier League Trophy visit to their school, with each club’s chosen poem also published on premierleague.com.

The judging panel for the poetry competition consists of current and former players, broadcasters, journalists, writers and members of the National Literacy Trust and Premier League Charitable Fund.

Premier League Champion Wes Morgan, who sits on the League’s Black Participants’ Advisory Group and formed part of the judging panel, said, “Reading the children’s poems has reminded me of the pride felt by so many across the country in our diversity – even at a young age. Celebrating that in football, and the positive impact that so many nationalities and ethnicities have on the Premier League, is hugely impactful.

“We want the young people who contributed their excellent poems to grow up in a world without discrimination, where everyone has the same opportunities regardless of their background. Football has the power to support that change, which is why No Room For Racism is so important.”

The Premier League and clubs remain committed to tackling discriminatory abuse, and tough sanctions are in place for anybody found guilty. Punishments include automatic stadium bans and legal prosecution.

The Premier League’s specialist team supports players and others working within the game who experience online abuse with investigations, while a combination of platform filtering, monitoring activities and real-world sanctions has helped drive down the number of reports received from players.

Players will take the knee at Premier League fixtures between 18 and 26 October to show unity against all forms of discrimination. This follows a decision made by club captains to continue this during the October No Room For Racism fixtures, which fall within the UK’s Black History Month.

A new No Room For Racism video has been produced which showcases the strength of diversity on and off the pitch in the Premier League. This will be available at premierleague.com/noroomforracism, along with a range of other content created by the League and clubs.