Brentford stars go back to school for Black History Month tour
As part of a Trust and Club inclusion initiative Marcus Gayle and Salma Mahamud have been visiting schools around West London
Brentford FC stars Marcus Gayle and Salma Mahamud brought some stardust to local primary schools this October in the name of inclusion. During Black History Month, Brentford FC’s Community Trust delivered 19 workshops to schools in Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond reaching over 400 children. Bringing with them the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off trophy Brentford won earlier this year in their successful promotion campaign to the Premier League, the pair talked to the young people about England and Brentford’s Black History, celebrating the positive contributions those communities have made over the last decades and centuries.
Last week Marcus and Salma visited Rabbsfarm school in Hillingdon as part of their tour of schools partnered with the Trust. All professional football clubs in England have community branches that reach out and deliver a range of sports and educational activities with local communities. Brentford FC Community Sports Trust has won Trust of the Year on multiple occasions.
Gayle, who played over 230 games for Brentford and is now a Club Ambassador, said: “Black History Month shouldn’t have to be just a month, it should be all year round. But to get to that point we need to start educate young people more about our shared history. And we are starting that now here today.”
Salma Mahamud, who plays for Brentford’s women’s teams has been with the club since 2018 and is studying for a Sports Psychology degree at UCFB, said: “It’s important that these young people, especially young Black or Asian people, see role models they identify with and hopefully are inspired by. At this impressionable young age, ambitions and expectations are formed so as well as teaching them about their past, we want them to look forward to their future”.
The Trust works with a number of partners to ensure that inclusion is highlighted within our community. Projects such as the Show Racism the Red Card is an anti-racism education programme, which provides educational workshops, training sessions and a whole host of other resources, all with the purpose of tackling racism in society. Football is used to shine a light on a topic that affects people all over the world. Since 2019 we have worked with thousands of participants across the local area and within local clubs to discuss diversity and inclusion.
