Originally founded in the USA where it is celebrated in February each year, the first recognised Black History Month event in the UK was held in October 1987 and founded by Ghanaian-born Akyaaba Addai Sebo, a special projects officer at the Greater London Council, following a visit to America in the 1970s.

Every year since that first event in 1987, the month of October has been dedicated to raising awareness of and celebrating the achievements and contributions of black people, and those from historically underrepresented ethnic communities, across the UK.

At Berks & Bucks FA, we strongly believe in the power of football to connect people and change lives. 

As an organisation, we're committed to ensuring that everyone has the same opportunity to participate in and enjoy the sport we all love. Our aim is that everyone feels valued, welcomed, and respected and that no-one must choose between participation and their own culture, identities, beliefs, or circumstances.

We believe representation has a vital part to play in promoting inclusion so, to coincide with Black History Month, we're delighted to announce the launch of our new Breaking Barriers initiative, an interview series which aims to celebrate and champion the successes of people from diverse ethnic communities involved in the game across Berks & Bucks.

The first interview in the series will be launched later this month, so keep an eye-out on our website and social media channels for the published article.

In addition to our Breaking Barriers series, we will also be celebrating Black History Month with a special episode of our podcast ‘The Grassroots Football Coach’ in the last week of October.

For the last few years, The FA have celebrated Black History Month through a series of webinar and education events. This year they are providing a series of in person events as below (more events to follow): 

England Football Learning Events:

Black History Month Coach Development Conference
• Wednesday 12th October 2022 (6.30pm - 9.30pm) 
at Middlesex University, Hendon Campus, Greyhound Hill, Hendon, NW4 4BT 
An interactive Coach Development session as part of Black History Month aimed at grassroots coaches.
Book here

If any clubs/leagues/local organisations or groups are holding any Black History Month events, please do let us know and we can share details of these events via our social media channels. 

For more information about Inclusion in Football across Berks & Bucks FA please click here.