Preventing & Responding to Racism

“Monkey noises, jeering, and even the N-word. Our youth have heard it all. Yes, racism is alive in youth soccer, unsubtle and out in the open. We aren’t in the stands at a lower division European football match. And we aren’t experiencing this in the Midwest or the South. This very well could be happening on the sidelines at your local park. This is happening in New York City, in its suburbs: Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, and other places in the Northeast.”

– Andrew So, South Bronx United

Key Coaching Points

1

Each of us must understand that racism exists, and that racist incidents happen every day at every level of soccer

2

We must learn to recognize and respond directly to incidents of racism

3

As a team, we must be clear on our stance against racism, and how we will inspire others by our example

Challenges

Stories from the Field:

Preventing & Responding to Racism

In this challenge, players will draw on real-life examples from the soccer world to engage in meaningful discussion about the ways preventing and responding to racism creates safe spaces in our communities

Go

Educate:

Card It!

In this activity, players will categorize different types of racism using analogies to soccer

Go

Exchange:

Restorative Practices

This activity will mimic what a restorative conversation might look like when it comes to addressing conflict between two players on the field

Go

Exchange:

Creating Safe Spaces

In this challenge, teams will work together to establish a positive team culture in their own environment

Go

Exchange:

What Would You Do?

This challenge will ask players to think about incidents of racism, both subtle and overt, and ways in which they would respond

Go

Activate:

Ripple Effect

In this challenge, as a team you will select an activity that you have already completed to share with another team(s)

Go

Stories from the Field

The Not-So-Beautiful Game

Racism on Your Local Youth Soccer Pitch

  1. What can and should be done to make sure young athletes can experience the joy of the game without fear of encountering racism?
  2. According to the author, how do parents and fans perpetuate this problem?
  3. Why is soccer arguably more prone to racism than other sports, according to the author?
Go

Alves Responds

Villarreal give life ban to rogue fan who threw banana at Dani Alves

  1. What do you make of Dani Alves’ decision to eat the banana that was thrown at him?
  2. Why do you think these sorts of incidents continue to happen at professional games? Who is responsible for ensuring these incidents stop?
Go

Rashford Reacts

Marcus Rashford Reacts to Racist Abuse

  1. In a separate context to that of Marcus Rashford, Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku is known for saying “When things were going well, I was Lukaku the Belgian striker…when they weren’t going well, I was the Belgian striker of Congolese descent.” What do these incidents reveal about the relationship between race and nationalism? Could you imagine something similar happening in the United States?
  2. What responsibility should social media companies have in limiting racist abuse that takes place online?
Go