Football Poets

2006 Football Poetry Workshops & Site Archived

1. 2006 FOOTBALL POETRY WORKSHOPS
2 FOOTBALL POETS SITE ARCHIVED BY BRITISH COUNCL
3 SELECTION OF STUDENT WORKSHOP POEMS

1 . 2006 FOOTBALL POETRY WORKSHOPS
We are once again undertaking football poetry workshops this year.The Football Poets have undertaken recent workshops in Hull, Bradford, Stroud, Liverpool (Everton Study Centre), London(Libraries & Chelsea FC), Charlton Athletic,Stoke,West Ham United,Fulham ,Northampton Ascot,Morperth and even Brockworth ! For information on Football Poetry Workshops contact Crispin Thomas on
crispin@ctmuk.freeserve.co.uk or editors@footballpoets.org
or phone 01453 757376 & 07837 798463

2006 WORKSHOPS with Crispin Thomas/ The Football Poets
JAN
16-20 CHELSEA FC.Stamford Bridge (with Roy Bentley)
24 E.LONDON School
25 SPALDING Priory School
FEB
11 FULHAM FC Kick Into Reading Open Day TBC
17 MORPERTH King Edward V1 School
MARCH
16/17 PORTUGAL Porto Schools (British Council Invitation)
JUNE
Date TBC PIMLICO LIBRARY Chelsea v Moscow Dynamo Workshop
OCTOBER – (Black HIstory Month)
Dates TBC PIMLICO / PADDINGTON Libraries Kick it Out/Workshops
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2 FOOTBALL POETS SITE ARCHIVED BY BRITISH COUNCL
As of 30th November 2005, the British Library has archived this site and judged it to be a representative part of our documentary heritage. For more info go to www.webarchive.org.uk There are some great and varied sites there. Classic Cafés is one of my favourites.There are 9 main headings in all. The Football Poets site appears under two sections: within Arts & Humanities under Literature and within Sport and Recreation. We are very pleased to be recognised in this way and hope you all feel the same. This is a pilot project and If the pilot is successful the archived copy of the web site will subsequently form part of the permanent collections. At the moment the site appears as 30th November. If you click on Publisher’s Site however, the current day comes up. Most sites appear to be up-dated every three months or so.Re Copyright : copyright remains with the author and this will be no different in the archive as with the site itself. Crispin
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3 SELECTION OF STUDENT WORKSHOP POEMS

a. 1945 Football Poetry Workshops Pimlico Library London June 05 with Crispin Thomas (Football Poets) & Peter Daniel

A session about Chelsea v Moscow Dynamo 1945, in which we acted out ,looked at football artefacts and pictures,discussed and then wrote some fun poems,which we then read, performed and sang (!) together…in 90 degrees heat!

UNITED FOREVER AGAIN

I remember the day
When my dad came home
From several long years of the War
My mum was crying
To see him again
As he walked back through our door

He dropped his sack
Swung me on his back
And said we’re off to football
Smiling he said
We’ll go the match
Mother daughter and all

I remember the day like yesterday
The women the children the men
When soldiers and families came together
United forever again

© Rachel Fardon 18.06.05

I love this poem so much. Written about the pivotal Chelsea v Moscow Dynamo game. Played on 13th Nov 1945. Over 100,000 crammed into Stamford Bridge, risking life and limb, lining rooves and touchlines to see the Russians. With the War barely 3 months over,soldiers and sailors and airforcemen were returning.The way Rachel has approached and written this poem , really moved all of us. I also read it aloud on Rachel’s behalf ,to an audience of stunned teachers and club officials at Chelsea’s ground earlier this week.CT

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POEMS ON RACISM – E.LONDON GYMNASIUM

A Fool’s Heart Ain’t Wide

How could people
People who are racist
Say all those things
Because of people’s faces
Anyone who does it
Is horrible and cruel
Anyone who acts that way
Is really just a fool
Whoever does it
Hurts people deep inside
When will they realise
A fool’s heart ain’t wide!
‘
By Jag Kaur
———————————————————–
RACISM

Racism, Racism what is racism?
Racism is like football you have to tackle it…..
and kick it out,
It might seem like you’re not hurting on the outside
but you might be on the inside,
It’s like a disease
it spreads around the world,
The only treatment is to say NO!
Stand up, speak up,
The future of racism is in your hands,
Give it the red card.

By Warda Ikar
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The Beast of Racism

This is a poem about racism and its effects on its victims.

Racism is judging people by their race or colour.
Racism is everywhere,
Its victims are caught in its deadly parlour
TOTALLY UNAWARE
On the street and on the road. It is very bare.

Racism causes people to hurt others.
It roams around looking for future feasts.
It occurs even among brothers.
Racism makes people act like beasts.

Tackle it, kick it out, and defend your fellows.
End its days of causing discord.
Send it back where to where it belongs
Send it back to where it came from……..
IGNORANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Sulochana Omwenga
…………………………………………………………………
The Disease Of Racism!!!

Racism is the worst.
Racism is like a burp.
It comes from somewhere
That has no place in football

Racism is like a disease
It spreads around like a wind
The treatment is here
In everyone’s hands

Racism is to be stopped
By people saying “NO”
To you who want to hurt
And why – I do not know.

By Egreta
………………………………………………………………………..

PADDINGTON LIBRARY RACISM POEMS

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

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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
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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
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RED CARDING IT AT EVERTON STUDY SUPPORT CENTRE. JANUARY 25/26 2005.(Two Day Workshop With Crispin)
.
A FEW POEMS from Primary Schools in Liverpool.

MY WORLD IS DIFFERENT

My world is different yes it’s true

You are a colour and I’m one too

Why do people shout and fight?

Only because it’s not right

Racism must be stopped

If its not we’ll all be lost

Don’t be mean or act all hard

Because we’re trying to show racism the red card.

@Aaliyah McGuinness – St Hughs’

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RACISM Acrostic

Racism is so not cool

At the ground or at your school

Colour doesn’t mean anything

If you’re poor or covered in bling

Stop racism today –

Make it happen today.

@Aimen Maksoud and Jamie McLoughlin – St Hughs’,Liverpool

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RACISM IS NOT THE SOLUTION

scared and frightened

How would you feel if other people bullied you

whether you are black or white

Racism is not the solution

as you see they will never win

can we show racism the door?

It’s time for us to say no more

Some people need to learn more

about what racism can do –

today we will find out

how Every one is different

red black or blue

yet everyone is the same

don’t be a fool – cant you see

all of us hate Racism

don’t give in

By Khwezi Newanyana and Anne Murphy – St Hughs’,Liverpool

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3 ROY BENTLEY POEMS AT STAMFORD BRIDGE JANUARY 2005
with Crispin Thomas & Rosemary Dun (Football Poets)

The Football Poets joined Roy Bentley (Chelsea’s first championship winning captain 1954/55!) to run workshops with school-children from 15 schools at Stamford Bridge.All week we talked and wrote about Roy’s life, footage of which was shown on ‘Soccer Saturday’ on SKY TV .

ROY BENTLEY (Acrostic)

Right at the start of World War Two
Our Roy swapped his boots to help out the zoo
Yes he is a football star
But first he had to go to war
Even though he had skill and style
Never had a fancy mobile
Times have moved on since that day
Lives have changed in so many ways
Everyone loves to watch him play
You wonder what he’d do today?

@St James & St Michael’s 18.01.05
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GENTLY BENTLEY

at the time of Roy Bentley
he kicked the ball but not too gently
he started playing when he was seven
the rest of the team were all eleven
it wasn’t all that hard to train
he was always running in the rain
Bristol Rovers saw him play
and asked him for a trial that day
he hurt himself by heading a ball
and ended up in a hospital
such a difference now and then
we’re never going back again

playing at Chelsea’s football ground
he came far since his first pound
the Chelsea players are the best
they can easily beat the rest
he passed evry football test
they remember Bentley’s vest
when Roy scored they roared like mad
the other team were really sad
scoring goals all day long
we know Chelsea never go wrong!

@St Peter’s (H & F) – 19.01.05
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FOOTBALL NOW AND THEN

Roy played football in the war
Marbles in bottles hard footballs
Sometimes good sometimes bad
Roy played footie as a lad
With two drunks he climbed the wall
Most days he didn’t pay at all
A hundred thousand stood in the Shed
When Moscow came they had a big head
The Dynamos did new football tapping
As the crowd carried on clapping
Today they’d all be rapping along
Back then they had chants and songs

@St Mathews
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FOOTBALL THEN AND NOW
If Roy was playing for Chelsea again
he wouldn’t have to wear heavy boots like then
back in those days it wasn’t too funny
playing football for not much money
in those days the balls were hard
no such thing as a yellow card
so many people stood in the crowd
now it’s seats but it’s still as loud
advertsing boards and a megastore
now it’s better than before

@St Mathews

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