England take on Switzerland in the first-ever Kick It Out International on Tuesday evening, for which tickets are still on sale.
It’s the 25th anniversary since Kick It Out was first formed and there will be plenty of activity at the King Power Stadium to reflect that celebration and the impact the organisation has made in tackling racism and all forms of discrimination in the game since 1993.
The England players will show their support by warming up in Kick It Out t-shirts and entering the pitch alongside eight mascots nominated by the organisation.
Kick It Out co-founder Paul Elliott is the special guest editor of the match programme for the game, which features a powerful interview from the former Chelsea man with current England players Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson.
Elliott also compiles the England player profiles and writes a moving foreword, along with a contribution from Kick It Out chair Lord Herman Ouseley.
For those watching the game at home, the opening 25 seconds of the game will be broadcast in black and white for the first time in nearly half a century as viewers tuning into Sky Sports’ live coverage will see the picture switch from colour to black and white as the teams enter the pitch.
“Kick It Out have been a catalyst for the change in English football both on and off the pitch and we’re delighted to celebrate their inspirational work in promoting football for all,” said Elliott.
“It was a great honour to be asked to guest edit the programme and I enjoyed being able to sit down and speak to both Marcus and Jordan for the main feature in this edition, so I hope fans enjoy reading it as much as I did producing it.
“Hopefully the black and white footage will encourage the millions of viewers at home to spend at least 25 seconds thinking about the importance of diversity in this beautiful game of ours.
“We’re very grateful to Sky Sports for supporting the idea since its conception and look forward to seeing Three Lions in black and white for the first time in nearly 50 years.”
Lord Herman Ouseley added: “We at Kick It Out are delighted with this gesture in recognition of our work to make football a better sport for all across the last 25 years.
“We hope the footage will be a powerful reminder of how far football has come in the last 25 years to make the a game a more open and diverse place - welcoming to all regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation.”
It all follows our recent launch of the ‘In Pursuit of Progress’ plan, which is part of the organisation’s commitment to ensure the diversity of those leading and governing football better reflects what we see on the pitch in the modern game. The plan will deliver initiatives primarily focused around gender and ethnicity across The FA’s general workforce and leadership roles, including coaching staff across the England teams.
