Kick It Out seeks football’s next generation in Exeter

Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion campaign, will descend on the city to host ‘Raise Your Game’, a free afternoon which pairs experienced individuals already working in the game with youngsters hoping to gain valuable advice to follow in their footsteps.

Former Chelsea and Pisa captain, Paul Elliott, ambassador and trustee for the campaign, is hoping the event will whet the appetite of the local football fraternity: “Kick It Out has been in the eye of the storm over the past year now, with high-profile events of discrimination, not to mention the recent t-shirt boycott during the One Game, One Community weeks of action in October, resulting in front and back page news.

“We’re hoping football fans can turn out in force to see firsthand how proactive our work is away from the headlines, and get involved in this exciting project which will have such a  positive and lasting impact on the game.”

People of all ages are urged to come along to what is the south-west leg of a series of similar workshops which have already taken place in Leeds, Gravesend, Wolverhampton and Manchester, in addition to a special event at Chelsea FC where Lord Sebastian Coe gave a keynote speech.

All are part of Kick It Out’s Mentoring and Leadership scheme, which aims to identify talented individuals hoping to plot a pathway into a career in football, away from the playing side in areas such as refereeing, media, community and administration.

Iffy Onuora, former Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United and Swindon Town striker, will be on hand to deliver a coaching master-class. The former Ethiopia national team manager, now working for the Professional Footballers’ Association, will be joined by Kick It Out and Exeter City representatives.

The event, in partnership with Exeter City’s One Game, One Community group and Devon FA, is free but places must be reserved. For more information please contact Kevin Coleman at Kick It Out on 0207 253 0162 or via kevin@kickitout.org.