All at West Ham United were honoured to welcome Patrick Hutchinson to Rush Green Training Ground to deliver a Premier League workshop for the men’s first-team squad focused on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
Speaking to the players alongside Jackie Ferdinand, the Club’s Director of Safeguarding & Inclusion, Hutchinson was able to tell his incredible story around allyship that received global media attention after his heroic actions on 13 June 2020.
Four years ago, Hutchinson and his friends Jamaine Facey, Chris Otokito and Lee Russell went into central London to help mediate clashes between anti-racism protesters and counter-protesters. Little did he know, his act of bravery and humanity would save someone’s life, and make his face one of the most memorable throughout a summer fraught with unrest.
Bryn Male, a former police officer and retired detective constable, was carried to safety by Hutchinson after he was injured near Waterloo Station.
A now iconic image was taken of Hutchinson hoisting the counter-protester to safety over his shoulder, which has been featured on news channels across the world and even been made into a mural in the south London Borough of Lewisham.
Hutchinson has since launched his own initiative called ‘United to Change and Inspire’, to help achieve equality for all, while he has also written a book with poet Sophia Thakur called ‘Everyone Versus Racism: A Letter to My Children’.
West Ham United, who were awarded the Advanced level of the Premier League’s Equality Standard for a second time in 2023, are proud to be an Equity leader, and Ferdinand was delighted to welcome Hutchinson to Rush Green to talk to the first-team players about his story.
She said: “It was fantastic to have Patrick at Rush Green to speak to our men's first-team players and staff about his incredible story and his heroic act of allyship.
“His message about the importance of everyday acts of allyship and kindness resonated with our players and staff. They were genuinely inspired by Patrick's story and connected with his call not to be a bystander but to be an upstander against all forms of discrimination, unkindness and injustice.
“Opening the workshop with Patrick's story also provided the opportunity to challenge those who insist EDI is about certain groups losing opportunities at the expense of others, or the pursuit of EDI being nothing more than a tick-box.
“At West Ham United, we believe in integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion into our operations. The workshop was also a time to celebrate the work of West Ham United's Player Project and express gratitude to the players for their incredible work in our community, for being advocates, and for making a positive impact.”
Hutchinson added: “It has been an absolute honour to be here. My stepfather was a West Ham supporter growing up and was in love with Trevor Brooking, so to be here was really nice. I had a really great time, and everyone looked after me.
“It was really good to have all the players here, and it was great to share my story. It was really nice to see how engaged they [the players] were and how interested they were in what I was saying.
“I know the story carries a lot of weight and I know that people tend to listen because they have seen the image as it went viral globally. A lot of people want to know the story behind it, so to have the players listen and engage in my conversation was a real privilege.
“I was glad to see what the players had to say as well. I had a couple of conversations separately with Michail [Antonio] and Kurt [Zouma] at the end which was fantastic.
“For me, I think allyship is a message that we all need to tap into a little bit more. It encompasses everyone and everything, and I think that is the best way to go.
“It was interesting to see Jackie speak as well and hear about the initiatives that West Ham are doing, and it really impressed me. I don’t think a lot of clubs are up to speed with EDI, and I think at a lot of businesses and organisations it can be looked at as a tick-box exercise.
“However, it is clubs like West Ham that are on it consistently when it comes to EDI. It’s not about a moment, it is a part of everyday life, and this is one of the things that more organisations and clubs need to start doing.”
