Hi , Celebrate Black History Month with a panel led discussion featuring some of the legends of the game.

On Friday, 13th October, 2017, the Paul Canoville Foundation in association with Street Cred Productions, will be celebrating the achievement of some of ‘football’s firsts’.

Paul Canoville, Howard Gayle, Ricky Hill, Pat Nevin, John Barnes, Les Ferdinand, Paul Elliott, Chris Ramsey and Hope Powell will form the panel on the night and will lead a discussion on diversity, equality and mental health challenges. Scheduled to coincide with Black history Month, the event is designed to give the audience a deeper understanding of what these players have achieved throughout their careers.

It will be an evening where the contributions of former pioneering black professional football players are recognised. The event has been scheduled to coincide with the nationally recognised national Black History Month.

‘I felt it essential to honour some of the modern day pioneers of the beautiful game and encourage them to tell their stories to true fans like myself’, said event organiser, Geoff Schumann. ‘I wanted to create an evening where the general public could get up close and personal with some of their former heroes and heroines to hear first-hand stories about their struggles within the context of a live audience’.

Panelist and organiser, Paul Canoville echoes this sentiment ‘Although we’ve come a long way, it’s still worthwhile to look back to understand exactly how far we’ve come as well as look forward and seek out ways to make continued progress’.

The event, which will be held at Hammersmith Town Hall, will be hosted by former Capital Xtra DJ Geoff Schumann and is sponsored by Hammersmith and Fulham Council, The Professional Football Players Association, Kick it Out, the Football Association, Britain’s General Union, The Beat and The Voice.

Doors open at 1830hrs and the event starts at 1900hrs. Tickets are available from Eventbrite

Proceeds from the event will go to The Paul Canoville Foundation