Events

Hartlepool United FC

11 September 2007

Hartlepool United FC hosted a Show Racism the Red Card event for the first time since April 1999. The club always take part in the poster scheme each year, but it was great to be back at the club and engage young people from local schools there. The audience was made up of pupils from three local primary schools and in total we had around 80 people in the sports bar venue to watch a screening of the DVD and take part in a Q&A session with first team players Godwin Antwi and Jamie McCunnie. First they were able to enjoy refreshments and some food provided by the club.

Also on the panel was Mayor of Hartlepool, Stuart Drummond, who spoke at the beginning of the event in support of the campaign and reflected on his own experiences of anti-English racism when he worked on a ship. Keith Nobbs, who runs the FITC department of the club and is a former Hartlepool player himself having played over 300 times for the club, was instrumental in organising the event and completed the panel, along with SRtRC's own, Gary Bennett.

The young people enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions and took part readily in the session. They received a lot of SRtRC resources including the new Hartlepool United /SRtRC poster and had the opportunity to have the items signed following the event when the players stayed behind.

The event received coverage from the Hartlepool Mail and is to be featured on the club's website. SRtRC would like to thank Godwin Antwi, Jamie McCunnie and Stuart Drummond for taking part in the event and lending their support to the campaign. Thanks also to the 'Rainbow Café' staff for providing the food and to the primary schools who attended. Big thanks go to Keith Nobbs and the FITC team for their help in organising the event and the club for hosting the day.