Awards event on November 21 celebrates sport's positive influencers from the black community; for first time in List's 11-year history, half of those honoured in 2019 are women
Thursday 31 October 2019 17:34, UK
Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling has been named on the Football Black List, an initiative that celebrates the most influential black people in the British game.
Sterling is included on the 'Cyrille Regis Players' list for his stance on addressing racism in football and how he used his profile and platform to raise awareness of how black people can be misrepresented in the media.
The Football Black List was founded in 2008 by sports journalists Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds and aims to highlight positive influencers from the black community in the sport.
A panel including representatives from the Premier League, The Football Association, Professional Footballers' Association, League Managers Association, English Football League and Kick It Out considered an extensive list of possible nominees.
A voting process then decided who made the final list in each of the seven categories, namely: Media; Administration; Coaching and Management; Commercial; Community; Cyrille Regis Players; and Practitioners.
Others on the list include Liverpool's Champions League winner Sadio Mane, for his charity work in Senegal, as well as Tottenham and England full-back, Danny Rose, for raising awareness of mental health issues in sport.
The list also features an all-female Administration section, with Birmingham City COO, Lungi Macebo, and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation CEO, Sarah Ebanja, among the quintet in the category.
For the first time in the 11-year history of the list, half of those celebrated are women.
The Ugo Ehiogu 'Ones to Watch' category - which identifies talented, young people in the industry under 30 years of age - will be released next week.
The Keith Alexander Award winners - for services to the black community and football industry - will be announced on the eve of the awards celebration, supported by the Premier League, which takes place on November 21 in central London.
Mann, co-founder of the Football Black List, said: "Raheem has made such a huge impact in the last year on and off the pitch.
"His vital words and actions in confronting issues of racism and how the black community is treated cannot be down played.
"We're delighted to have another incredible list that will help to inspire the next generation of young black people to get involved in all areas of the game. It's particularly special this year that half of the list is female."
Fellow co-founder Rodney Hinds added: "It's fantastic to see that some 50 per cent of this year's list is female. It shows the progress that is being made within the game, however slowly.
"Raheem should be congratulated for the positive strides he is making, on and off-field.
"Football needs more like him in terms of taking a consistent stand on important subjects."
Football Black List in full
Cyrille Regis Players:
Anita Asante
Danny Rose
Eni Aluko
Raheem Sterling
Sadio Mane
Administration:
Amanda Hudson, Director of Education - WADA
Joanie Evans, Co-President - Federation of Gay Games
Lungi Macebo, Chief Operating Officer - Birmingham City FC
Sarah Ebanja, CEO - Tottenham Hotspur Foundation
Vivienne Aiyela, Non-Executive Director - London FA
Coaching and Management:
Chris Ramsey MBE, Technical Director - Queens Park Rangers
Colin Omogbehin, Under-23 Academy Head Coach - Fulham FC
Coreen Brown, Academy Coach - Arsenal Ladies
Justin Cochrane, Head Coach - England Under-15 Team
Michael Johnson, National Team Manager - Guyana National Team
Commercial:
Dominique Delvaille, Women Brand Director - Nike
Donna Bartley, Senior Associate - Morgan Sports Law
Ellen Chiwenga, Football Match Agent - EC Football Consultancy
GavinLee Ellison, Head of Global Operations - Concave Football
Tobi Alabi, Founder - Heart 4 More Foundation and Football Agent
Community and Grassroots:
Bobby Kasanga, Founder - Hackney Wick FC
Francesca Brown, Founder - Goals4Girls
Iqraa Ismail, Founder - NUR Women's Football Club
Dr. Mark Prince, Founder - Kiyan Prince Foundation
Michael Wallace, Co-Founder - Kickoff@3
Media:
Adrian Kajumba, Football Reporter - Daily Mail
Anne-Marie Batson, Freelance Sports Broadcaster
Clinton Forde, Co-Founder - Rootz TV
Felicia Pennant, Editor - SEASON zine
Joel Beya, Co-Founder - Cheeky Sport
Practitioners:
Akil Howson, Assistant Referee - English Football League
Dr. John Iga, Head of Performance Services - Huddersfield Town Football Club
David Rainford, Club Support Manager - Premier League
Jehmeil Lemonius, Sports Campaign Manager - Stonewall
Lorna Falconer, Head of Football Operations - Brentford FC
