No Room For Racism: Local youngsters make a stand against discrimination

Tottenham Hotspur Foundation held a No Room For Racism art session at its Easter holiday camp nearby to the Stadium today.

Local youngsters joined Ledley King and the Foundation’s Belvin Lewis, who was crowned as the Club’s No Room For Racism Icon earlier this season, to share a clear message that discrimination has no place in football or society.

The activity at Duke’s Aldridge Academy, supported by former Foundation coach turned artist, Emmely Elgersma, took place during the Premier League’s latest No Room For Racism campaign.

Ledley said: "I think you only have to look at the area we’re in, with it being so diverse, to understand why it’s important we use our platform as a football club to educate young people around the topic of racism.

"It’s important we’re here to help young people so that they have an understanding, particularly around how to deal with racism.

"The No Room for Racism campaign has grown a lot over the years and the Premier League, being watched all over the world, has a particularly powerful voice to help educate people around the topic."

Isabella, 10, said: "I asked Ledley if racism had ever stopped him from achieving his goals. He explained how what he’d experienced only made him stronger and more determined, and that was inspiring."

Belvin added: "No Room For Racism is close to my heart, particularly having grown up in this area. You can make a difference through education and I think Tottenham Hotspur, through the Foundation, leads on that in this community.

"The drawings done today have been amazing, but speaking to the kids whilst they were doing them, the great thing is they were able to tell you about the inspiration for them. They’re telling you we should get along and it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what colour your skin is – that’s what it’s all about."

The Foundation is running Easter holiday camps as part of its long-standing delivery of the Premier League Kicks programme that has benefited tens of thousands of young people, including 6,500 in the last five years.

Premier League Kicks, funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, uses the power of football and sport to inspire young people to reach their potential, in some of the most high-need areas in England and Wales.

It is one of the many ways the Premier League is increasing diversity across football, as outlined in the four-year update shared on its No Room For Racism Action Plan last week.

In 2023/24, 36% of Premier League Kicks participants across the country were from ethnically diverse backgrounds, with that figure growing to almost 70% when looking at participants in our Foundation’s delivery of the programme.