Marcus Rashford, Tyrone Mings, Troy Deeney and More Make 2020’s Football Black List

The 2020 Football Black List has just dropped, celebrating the most impactful and influential Black voices in football – on and off the pitch.

Headlining the class of 2020 are Premier League stars Marcus Rashford, Tyrone Mings and Wilfried Zaha, while Watford’s Troy Deeney also makes the cut. Crystal Palace goalkeeper Chloe Morgan also features after being vocal about the inclusion of LGBT+ voices at all levels of the game.

Rashford features his tireless work in campaigning to end child food poverty, while Tyrone Mings and Troy Deeney feature for using their platforms to tackle racial injustice. Wilfried Zaha is recognised for supporting NHS workers with accomodation at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Football Black List was founded in 2008 by sports journalists, Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds, in order to show appreciation to Black contribution to British Football. Places on the list were chosen by a wide-range specialist panel from the Black community and football industry, with representation from the Premier League, the FA, BCOMS and Kick It Out, to name a few.

While it’s easy to focus on elite-level players, the Football Black List is worth so much more than that, shining a light on the people who make football work at every level of the game including administration, coaching, commercial, community, equality and media creators.

Other notable names on the Football Black List are Edleen John, a director in The FA’s leadership team and ex-players, Les Ferdinand and Eniola Aluko, who serve jobs now as Aston Villa’s women’s sporting director and QPR’s director of football.

The list also celebrates Football v Homophobia Education Lead with Annette Nelson becoming the first recipient of a new LGBT+ Award.

Next week, the Ugo Ehiogu ‘Ones to Watch’ category that highlights young talents in the industry under 30 and will be announced online, and there will be a recognition of Black disabled people in football.

Please find the full Football Black List below:

Cyrille Regis Players:
Chloe Morgan, Crystal Palace Women
Marcus Rashford MBE, Manchester United and England
Troy Deeney, Watford FC
Tyrone Mings, Aston Villa and England
Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace and Ivory Coast

Administration:
Edleen John, Director of International Relations, Corporate Affairs and Diversity – The FA
Eniola Aluko, Sporting Director – Aston Villa FC Women
Jade Morgan, General Manager – Leicester City Women
Les Ferdinand MBE, Director of Football – Queens Park Rangers
Marie Gabriel CBE, Chairperson – West Ham United Foundation

Coaching and Management:
Alex Dyer, Manager – Kilmarnock FC
Ashley Bosah & Cornelius Nwadialor, Joint Managers – Tooting & Mitcham FC
Jason Euell, Under 23 Head Coach – Charlton Athletic FC
Karleigh Osborne, Women’s Head Coach – Brentford FC
Tony Whelan, Assistant Academy Director – Manchester United

Commercial:
Ashanti George-Faure, Senior Talent Manager – Refresh Sports
Faina Msellam, Sports Industry Advisory Board Member – Birkbeck Sport Business Centre
Marvin Robinson, CEO – Fresh Ego Kid
Nathan Thompson, Commercial Director – West Ham United
Warren Haughton, Director, Haughton Consultancy

Community and Grassroots:
Diane Sawyers, Operations Manager – Holford Drive Community Sports Hub
Duke Harrison-Hunter, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer – Pompey in the Community
Emma Trent, Head of Programmes – Notts County Football in the Community
Harold Bennett, Founder – North London United
Dr. Michael Seeraj, Head of Equality Diversity & Inclusion – Charlton Athletic FC

LGBT+:
Annette Nelson, Education Lead – Football v Homophobia

Media:
Carl Anka, Football Reporter – The Athletic
Charlene Gravesande, Special Projects Journalist – Sky Sports
Hugh Woozencroft, Sports Broadcaster – talkSPORT
Jessica Creighton, Sports Reporter – Sky Sports
Micah Richards, Freelance Broadcaster

Practitioners:
Hayley Bennett, Founder – WeAreNutmegs
Jason Lee, Equalities Education Executive – PFA
Marvin Robinson, CEO – Peterborough United Foundation
Dr. Matt Ogunsanya, Club Doctor – Watford FC
Sam Allison, National Group Referee – PGMOL