Yorkshire footballer Andy Kiwomya has always been dedicated to giving racism the boot. Now hes taking that message into Sheffield classrooms. Here he shares his vision with Childrens Express journalists.
| Violence is always going to be there, so youve got to keep your temper more than anything. |
Andy Kiwomya was 11 when he had his first taste of racial hatred.
Part of a Bradford Schools Team touring the north east, he went to see a league match in Sunderland, unaware of the violence he was about to witness.
Suddenly a crowd of skinheads formed at the back of the stand. They targeted me, Chris, my brother and the other two black lads in our party, shouting racial abuse. We were scared of these guys, because they were 17, 18 and we were only 11, so they were like men to us.
Even now, 20 years later, Andy still has difficulty talking about the incident, his eyes troubled with the memory.
They were getting right in our faces and looking at us with real hate. My last memory was of these guys chasing us, throwing stones at the coach down the road as we were driving off.
Since that day, Andy has become a familiar and popular figure. He went on to play for Barnsley, Luton and Bradford City and clearly made a success of his professional career, but you could be forgiven for expecting him to carry the early experience into his later life, bitter and resentful.
The opposite is, in fact, the case. Since retiring from professional football, Andy has forged a new career working in Sheffield schools, talking to often disaffected young people about the value of education, and using his time in football as a comparison.
He is part of the governments EMAG (Ethnic Minority Advisory Group) initiative, targeting young people from ethnic backgrounds, reinforcing their self esteem, and expanding their opportunities.
Its a striking change from life on the football pitch. But as he told an audience of 13 and 14-year-olds at Firth Park School, hed felt ready for a change: Id played for England youth, Id played in all divisions. Id done a lot of the things Id worked to achieve. And I realised maybe its just time to start doing other things that I wanted to do.
His message is based on a hard-edged look at priorities. He compares the highly inflated wages of footballers with the life saving qualities of surgeons, and asks where the real pressure is. Listening, whether to football managers or teachers, is high on his list of skills. So is self-control.
Violence is always going to be there, he says. So youve got to keep your temper more than anything.
Young Mohammed Ibraham, 13, of Pitsmoor said of Andy's approach: Its not like teachers talking to you. Hes faced racism. Hes been there, and he talks a lot of sense.
Mark Lewis, 14, would agree. If youre talking about racial aggro you want someone who is honest, not afraid to speak his mind, and has been through it.
Andys support for the governments Kick Racism Out of Football campaign is whole-hearted, although hed like it go further: Kick Racism has really addressed issues at grass-roots level.
"Its important to educate the younger kids because they are the ones that are going to change it. Im still not sure that a lot of clubs have grasped whats trying to be said but they have been showing encouragement towards whats happening.
About the team
This article was produced by editors Samantha Chetwynd and Laura Brunt, 15, and Mark Lewis, 14. It was published in the Sheffield Star.
