Gillingham FC shows its support to Kick it Out in designated Game of Action at MEMS Priestfield Stadium
On Saturday November 14 Gillingham Football Club held its annual Kick It Out Game of Action against Bury FC.
In build up to the game the club and the Community Trust had organised a variety of activities to help support and promote the message of Kick It Out.
Coaches from the Trust have attended local schools to talk with the children about the issues around Discrimination. The coaches also spoke about how they could all do their bit to make people happy and how to treat others, how they’d like to be treated themselves.
We also supported Mid-Kent College for Black History Month as they embraced and celebrated our diverse community. Our Coaches were also joined by first team players Glenn Morris and Josh Wright who were able to talk about the changes in football over recent years and the positive work being conducted by Kick It Out.
In the weeks leading up to the game the Trust asked pupils from all over the county to design a T-shirt that highlighted the message of Kick It Out with the winning design being worn by our substitutes at the Bury FC game.
We received hundreds of entries and first team Manager, Justin Edinburgh and Assistant Manager, David Kerslake were on hand to pick our very special winner, Kirsten Ann Young-Rogers from East Peckham Primary School.
Kirsten and her family were invited to attend Priestfield Stadium for the Bury game where she was presented pitch-side with her winning design by Community Trust Manager, Adam Lawrence and Kick It Out’s Grassroots Football Development Officer, Cory Hendricks Jackman before kick-off. Kirsten was then able to relax and watch the game whilst the Gills substitutes warmed-up in her t-shirts.
Game day also saw the whole squad wearing the official Kick It Out t-shirts as they warmed up before kick-off and joined by Gills very own U14 Academy squad who were balls boys and flag bearers for the game.
Thank you to all the schools who have helped us spread the message of Kick It Out to their pupils and students and for supporting the campaign.
To find out more about the work of Kick It Out click here.