As the Premier League restates its No Room For Racism message, Inclusive Irons Chair Apu Vyas explains how the group is working with the Club to ensure West Ham United is a place for all, on and off the pitch.
Inclusive Irons was originally launched in January of 2020 as BAME Hammers with a view to giving a voice to groups within the fanbase such as the Black and Asian fans. The original Chair and instrumental in the set-up was Lee Vehit who had to step down when his duties as chairman of Grays Athletic FC became too much. Initially the aim was to help the Club to reinforce their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Our ethos is one of inclusivity, we are all united in our love for West Ham. Currently our main aims are to encourage more Blacks and Asians to come to matches so that matchday better reflects the area that is West Ham's heartland. In the past it hasn't been a welcoming experience for some which has led to a lost couple of generations of fans to the teams that are more prominently featured on telly. West Ham is a Club that welcomes all and we need to amplify that message. One other area that we are keen to promote is to do with Asians in football.
They make up circa 8% of the English population but, due to a number of barriers, Asians are not represented on the playing field and we want to work with West Ham to increase their efforts in changing these statistics.
The Club has always been supportive since launch and has helped with events that we have either put on such as celebrating 50 years of West Ham being the first English club to play three Black players in the same team (a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in 1972!) as well as events such as Eid and Diwali celebrations or iftars (fast breaking during Ramadan) attended by players.
As the Chair, I was lucky enough to go along with Carlton Cole to the unveiling of the Jack Leslie statue in Plymouth to which West Ham contributed. Jack was a Black east London-born footballer who was dropped by England in the 1920s due to the colour of his skin and later ended up in West Ham's boot room in the 1970s.
Most importantly, we want West Ham to be successful. We want to help the Club get the most supporters and the best team and not overlook locals who could contribute significantly to that. We'd like to see more Black and Asian faces at West Ham both on and off the pitch. We want West Ham to be leading conversations and initiatives around diversity and inclusion and ultimately, we are football fans and to increase understanding and that our differences aren't as great as what we share in common.
To find out more about Inclusive Irons, or to get involved, visited their X account HERE or Instagram account HERE.
All Premier League matches between 5 and 14 April are being dedicated to No Room For Racism. During this period, the league and clubs celebrate diversity on and off the pitch and demonstrate how it makes the game stronger, while reinforcing the message that discrimination will not be tolerated in football or wider society. Players will take the knee before kick-off at these matches to demonstrate unity against racism.
For more information about the Premier League’s No Room For Racism campaign, click HERE.
