Former Bradford City and St. Kitts & Nevis international defender Ces Podd will be visiting the Oakwood Owls’ Fearnville home in just one of a number of events to highlight the need to kick racism out of football.
Podd made a club record 565 appearences for Bradford City, and was one of the very first black footballers to ply their trade in the Football League, making his debut in 1970. He later went on to play for Halifax and Scarborough and more recently has been involved in the St. Kitts and Nevis national side.
The Oakwood Owls, a Leeds community youth project run by coach Rod Christopher have organised a series of events later this month in order to highlight the campaign to remove racism from our national sport under the “Kick it Out” banner. Over 80 Leeds-based youngsters will be involved in cross-cultural activities which will all take place at the Owls’ pod behind the Fearnville Leisure Centre in Gipton, Leeds.
The details of the events are shown below courtesy of Rod Christopher.
Thursday 18th October 2007 (6.00-7.00pm)
Ces Podd question & answer session.
Former Bradford City & St Kitts & Nevis national manager defender Ces Podd has happily agreed to come along & answer Owls questions about his own experiences of racism during his long professional career in the 70s & 80s. He is also happy to respond to any questions that vital Leeds fans might want to ask, so send them in to me & ill make sure they’re answered for you! The event will conclude with a group football match on the astroturf pitch.
Friday 19th October 2007 (5.30 – 8.30pm)
Multicultural 7-a-side Youth Football Tournament
2 Owls U17s squads will compete in a 5 team tournament on the Fearnville Astroturf pitch. We will be inviting other youth football groups from Seacroft, Harehills, Chapeltown, Little London & Beeston. The evening will conclude with a presentation of awards.
Thursday 25th October 2007 (5.30-8.30pm)
Penalty Shootout and Crossbar Challenge Competitions
The Owls will be running 2 competitions to find the most accurate player in the community! There will be trophies for winners and runners up. The evening will conclude with an hour of group matches and a trophy presentation on the multi use pitch.
Friday 26th October 2007 (6.00-8.00pm)
The 7th lads v Dads Challenge Match
With the dads/guests leading 4-2 on games to date, this is a real biggy for the Owls squad! In the last game the dads came out on top after a golden goal victory. This time around we’ve agreed to play an 11-a-side game on a full sized astro-pitch, rather than the usual 7 v 7. Always fun, this is one game the lads dare not lose (again!) The evening will conclude with an anti racism football quiz, where ‘kick it out’ merchandise & small prizes can be won.
For more information on the events, the Oakwood Owls or if you have questions for Ces Podd, you can find all you need, including contact details on the Oakwood Owls website www.oakwoodowls.leedslearning.org/
Vital Leeds United is proud to support the Oakwood Owls activities through the publication of the latest news, match reports as well as a dedicated discussion forum for the Owls management and players.
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