Football Poets

Making A Difference Kick It Out Poems 05 & 04

ALL! – October 2005

BLACK HISTORY MONTH / KICK IT OUT 2005
It’s Black History Month & KICK IT OUT WEEK 2005!
ALBERT NYATHI (Premier Performance Poet of Zimbabwe) and I were invited to perform together at the UK Launch of KICK IT OUT WEEK, which took place at the F.A. Headquarters in Soho Square on Tuesday 11th October.Huge thanks to Piara & Kate at Kick it Out . I’ve incuded Albert’s wonderful Kick it Out poem here ,written on arrival in the UK at the start of his band’s tour when we went together to the Charity Shield match in Cardiff! Albert’s and the kids Kick it Out poems from this year and last year follow….

FANS and FOOLS (for Kick it Out)

I see a sea of citizens milling,
Scattered, seated, standing, swaying
They are swerving, sweating, swinging
Singing and sighing
They are steaming and streaming
Football fans and fools alike
Fans cheer at the sight of the colour of the jersey
Fools jeer at the sight of the colour of the skin
Football fans and fools
They shout and share the joy of a win
They shout and share the sorrows of a defeat
Yes one team has to win.
Tell me then, how does the colour of the skin come in?
Racism is cancer eroding the human spirit
Racism is for imbeciles
Bent on destroying human relations
Bent on destroying the good that mankind has built

I shudder to imagine what would happen
If the world had one race
Look, if we had red roses only for flowers
No white roses, no lilies, nor daffodils
I do not want to imagine
How the jungle would look like
If we had lions only for animals
No leopards, no jackals, nor giraffes
I hesitate to imagine
What the roads would look like
If we had BMWs only for cars
No Ford, no Toyota nor Volvo
No Limousines nor tractor even?

Please do not ask me to imagine
What it would be like
If all of us just agreed on everything
If all of us had one opinion
If all of us looked alike
Were of the same height
Same weight
Same colour of skin
Same nose shapes
Same colour of hair?

Some have to have big noses
Others have to have small eyes
Some have to be tall like giraffes
Others big and baggy like baby elephants
Yet others short and stocky like rabbits.

So we need blacks
We need whites
We need Asians
We need the Chinese
We need everybody
To beautify the world
Do not tell me
You do not envy
the beauty of the rainbow
So, come on, let us beautify the world
With our different colours
Stand up and be counted
Stand up

@Albert Nyahti 11.10.2005
( Written for KIO Week and performed at FA HQ.Soiho. )
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ABOUT THIS YEAR’S WORKSHOPS …
This year we are back and busy work-shopping our way around the capital and beyond doing our stuff for KIO at Chelsea,Fulham, QPR & West Ham United and two prisons in Wales all as part of Kick It Out Week ..Big .thanks to Peter D at Westminster Archives Suzie at Chelsea FC- Education Through Football, Carlos & Jamie at West Ham Learing Centre & Jude at Fulham FC…CRISPIN

OCTOBER WORKSHOPS 2005
5/6 MORPETH King Edward V1 School
11 LONDON FA HQ SOHO Official Launch Of Kick it Out Week 05
15 PADDINGTON Library (Chelsea FC) with IMBONGI & Albert Nyathi
19 FULHAM FC
20 WEST HAM UNITED LEARNING ZONE
21 WEST HAM UNITED LEARNING ZONE
22 BARONS CT Library Chelsea FC with IMBONGI & Albert Nyathi
25 USK & PRESCOED Prisons with Ted smith Orr
31 QPR (Nat Literacy Trust-Reading The Game)

KICK IT OUT WEEK & BLACK HISTORY MONTH
ANTI-RACISM POEMS/ARTHUR WHARTON/PAUL CANOVILLE 2005
Chelsea FC Education through Football/making A Difference
Poems on the theme of the Role of Black Role Models In Football…
PADDINGTON CHILDREN’S LIBRARY SAT OCT 15TH 2005

FOOTBALL IS…..

football is a game than anyone can play
football is amazing players with stunning skills
football is crazy fans running onto the perfect mowed pitch
football is a sea of blue
football is diving quick goalies and skilled players in their cool shirts
football would be rubbish without Claude Makelele & Thierry Henry!
football is something my dad is always watching
football is wonderful
football is a place
where racism does not belong

Group Poem (from one-liners from the children!)
Paddington Library 15.10.05

—————————————————————-

PAUL CANOVILLE WAS

Paul Canoville was….
the first black Chelsea player
abused by the crowd
from London but his parents were from Jamaica
Paul Canoville was….
forgotten throughout the years

Paul Canoville was….
the bravest person alive who never gave up
even when they did Nazi salutes
Paul Canoville was sent letters saying
If he goes on the pitch – bang – he will be dead.

Paul Canoville was
threatened – he didn’t back down
without Paul Canovllle
Thierry Henry wouldn’t be on the pitch today

Paul Canoville was…….
an inspiration – a role model
playing 100 years after Arthur Wharton

Paul Canoville was a brave hero
what would we have done without Paul Ccanoville?

@Nicole Amazing -St Mary of The Angels (Aged 9)

————————————————————————–

PAUL CANOVILLE WAS…..

Paul Canoville was
the bravest man in England and the World

Paul Canoville was born in 1962

Paul Canoville was from London

Paul Canoville was hurt by people
saying horrible things to him

Paul Canoville was told
“If you play for Chelsea we will kill you!”

Paul Canoville was so important
because he was playing
100 years after Arthur Wharton

Paul Canoville was ….a hero

@ Eruehjin Zorigtbaatar (11 yrs old)
St James & St Micheal’s School
————————————————————-
PAUL CANOVILLE OUR HERO

Paul Canoville was…..
…a hero who proved the racists wrong…
…strong and ignored their comments
…never a coward
…threatened but he didn’t give up
..Chelsea’s first black player
…a huge part of Chelsea’s history

Paul Canoville Was…..
..able to help other black players to play today
..playing 100 years after Arthur Wharton

Paul Canoville Was…..
…an inspiration to others

Paul Canoville is our hero..

@ Niaamatallah Amir Age 10- Queens Park Primary School
15.10.05
———————————————————————-
BEAT THEM WITH SKILL

Beat them Paul
Beat them Paul with skills
Beat them with your strength
Don’t let them hurt you
Don’t let them stop you
Don’t let them put you down
Come back come back Paul
Don’t let them take your dreams away..

Sam St Mary’s School 15.10.05
———————————————————
FROM NAZI SALUTES TO CHEERS

Bullied by a group of 50-100 people chanting
There’s only one Chelsea nigger”
he must have felt bad and unwanted.

I don’t think it happens as much as it did then
to Claude Makelele and Thierry Henry

Paul proved them wrong – by winding them up –
playing every week and not doing what they wanted him to do
Paul had them right where he wanted them.

Then appeared a mini-sea of blue
with hands up high
cheering him
instead of the Nazi salutes.

He was the star of Chelsea
he was the bigger person
he proved all the racist people wrong
he was Paul Canoville

@Mariva Boloyon -Queen’s Park Primary School (aged 10)

—————————————————————–
PAUL CANOVILLE & KICKING OUT RACISM

Amazing players with stunning skill
“Get out- get out!” the crowds they say
Fans send abusive messages
He did not listen he kept on playing
He dreamed of football
He proved racists wrong
Scored fantastic goals
Like no-one has ever done
So why do people say such nasty things
Let’s kick out racism with skills forever
Like Paul

@ Immam – Queen’s Park 15.10.05
——————————————————————

IGNORE THEM!

Come out onto the pitch
Don’t let them butt you
You are as strong as a rock
Don’t let them deter you.
Use your skills and win the game

Black footballers of the world
Let your dreams guide you through
And soon you’ll be the best

Ignore them and believe in yourself

anon Paddington 15.10.05
————————————————–

KICK OUT RACISM FOR PAUL

Football is a game
White and black they are the same
They all have geat names
But racism only brings sorrow and pain

You beat them all
You did it Paul
You heard the call
But you didn’t fall
So once again you did it Paul

Zahair Hassan 15.10.05 – Paddington Library

——————————————————————-

KICK OUT RACISM NOW!

racism racism kick it out
beat it Wharton with your keeping
you run so fast
that you blow racism out of football!

Chelsea Chelsea
better than Arsenal
with Lampard scoring lots of goals
Chelsea Chelsea
you’re one of the best
you’ll nearly always beat your foes
Joe Cole Joe Cole
you’re the best player for Chelsea

Miles Theo – Paddington 15.10.05

————————————————————-

RACISM

he was the star
and hero of Chelsea
he was the bigger person
bullied by a group of people in the crowd
he proved everyone wrong
he was Paul Canoville

anon PADDINGTON LIBRARY 15.10.05

————————————————————–
‘Making a Difference’ PADDINGTON CHILDREN’S LIBRARY
SAT OCT 9TH 2004

ARTHUR WHARTON

First black man to play in Britain
Found it hard to try and fit in
Fastest man the world could know
Record sprinter but stuck in goal
Not good enough for England because he was black
But I think he’s the best and that’s a fact
He came from Ghana and here found fame
Buried, unmarked, no gravestone, no name.

Benji Marfo aged 10
St Gabriel’s School
———————————————————-
The First Black Player for Chelsea

Your family came over on the Windrush
From the hot beautiful Jamaica
To the grim grey London
Knocking on doors trying to find somewhere to live
But all they found was
NO BLACKS NO IRISH NO DOGS
So unwelcome but they didn’t give up
But neither did you Paul

It’s the twelfth of April 1982
Your Chelsea debut
Warming up at Crystal Palace
Chelsea fans were screaming their malice
Making you feel unwelcome
But what could you do Paul?
Stand or Bend?
You stood firm Paul
You never gave up
You’re my hero Paul
You’re my role model

Nadine Charlemagne aged 10
Westminster Cathedral RC Primary
—————————————————–
Paul Canoville

Played for Chelsea
Always a blue
Unhappy, not wealthy
Loved by a few

Could always play football
And played on the wing
Never was bad
And known as a king
Very sad because of bullies
Ignorant and racist, STOP!
Leave me alone, you cowards
Even know, I made it to the top.

Siphiwe Musumga, 10, St Matthew’s School
————————————————————–
Paul Canoville
Paul’s family came from Jamaica and had a hard time too,
Just as Paul had on his debut
They came off the Windrush and looked for a room,
But there were signs saying, ‘No blacks, no Irish, no dogs.’
They could have given up just like you could have, Paul
But you were so brave
To stick up for the blues.
You did it in spite of the chants and the boos.

Elsie Gray and Clare Manning, 10, Westminster Cathedral School
——————————————————————-
Paul Canoville

Penalties will end the game
All blue men with make us proud
Unhappy and great
Lunge and shoot

Can always play a wonderful game
Alone, but good
Nothing will stop him from being a blue
Open and ready
Volley a goal to win the game
I and my colour will stand up front
Lonely on the subs bench at Crystal Palace
Lacking love by some and praised by others
Everyone will know he is a true blue.

Bobbie Wells, 10, St Matthew’s CE Primary
———————————————————–
Canoville

Chelsea player
Abused for playing football
Now he’s at the top
Of the league
Victim of colour
Ignorance from another
Little bit famous
Liked by a few
Everyone remembers Chelsea’s first black player.

Besart Zymberi, 10, Millbank

—————————————————————-
‘Paul Canoville’

I saw the salutes
By my own blue-shirted fans,
I saw their anger
Through their pointed hands
I thought that they liked me
But now I know they don’t support me
because of the colour of my skin
Now I’m going to fight for black people’s rights
from this day in
Because I’m a player, not because of my colour,
give me a chance and give me a cheer.

Isabel O’Callaghan, 10, St Matthews

———————————————————————-
‘Didier Drogba’

He’s fast and furious
He’s the hitman for the blues
He’s a skillful player
Win or lose

He’s like a spider
Catch him if you can
Waiting to pounce
He’s a good packer man

He’s a giant in the air
He’s black and he’s proud
And when he scores
I scream out loud.

Jed Faulkner, 10, St Matthew’s Primary
——————————————————————-
Hasselbaink

Holland is his country
And Middlesborough is his club
Striker, strong and skillful
Stupendous super-sub
Long fast distance runner
Emirates flew him high
Blue was his team, but now he wears red
A single touch and then a goal
Incisive
Nutmeg’s defenders on the way to the box
Knocks it over the keeper at the last tick of the clock

Connor Clark, 10, St Peter’s Eaton Square
——————————————————————

‘
Chelsea FC Education through Football/Kick it out Campaign
‘Making a Difference’

As part of the Chelsea FC Education though Football programme, children from 17 Westminster Primary schools have been looking at the lives of two black footballers during ‘Kick it Out’ week. Westminster Archives Education Officer, Peter Daniel ran sessions in all of the schools on two players, Arthur Wharton and Paul Canoville. Arthur was the first black footballer in Britain, but first became famous when he set a new world record for the 100 yard dash at Stamford Bridge in 1886. This was nearly 20 years before football came to the ground in 1905. The children were then taken forward nearly a hundred years to the 12th April 1982 to hear the story of Chelsea’s first black player, Paul Canoville and his debut at Crystal Palace. Both players faced quite shocking prejudice and discrimination but in the way they triumphed over adversity they helped to ‘make a difference’ for every black player that followed them.

To celebrate Arthur and Paul’s lives, children were given the chance to come to Pimlico Library on Saturday 9th October and Paddington Children’s Library on the 16th October and given the opportunity to work with the Football Poets. Crispin Thomas, Ted Smith-Orr and Elliott ‘EllJay’ Joseph. They helped to inspire the kids to write poetry and they then had a chance to sit down with artist Marysia Lachowicz to incorporate these words into ‘pop-art’ style posters featuring the images of the two players concerned. On 4th November one child from each school attended a poetry slam at the Cockpit Theatre, London NW8 to establish Chelsea’s champion poem from ‘Kick it Out’ week. John Terry,Roy Bentley,Paul Elliott , The Pensioners and The Fooball Poets were also there to celebrate with them.

PETER DANIELS/ WESTMINSTER ARCHIVES & LIBRARIES.Dec 04.

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