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WHILE black players have fought through prejudice to excel at the highest levels of English football, there is still a disproportionate number of the community in other areas of the game.

However, progressed is being made.

This week we list the most influential black people in the game.

The Voice of Sport sought the opinion of the sports’ leading agencies in order to ascertain the top 30 movers and shakers playing their part in the national sport.

After canvassing the opinion of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), Football Association (FA), the Premier League, and the football advisory team at the Commission for Racial Equality, the list was compiled.

The Black List makes fascinating reading and includes past and present players, administrators, coaches and journalists.

HOPE POWELL

England Women Head Coach

Powell is the first black head coach of any England football side. She was appointed as the first ever full-time national coach of the women's team in 1998.

As a player she won 66 caps for England, scoring 35 goals before becoming the youngest ever England coach, and the first female.

Internationally, Powell is regarded as one of the best female coaches in the world, a point confirmed when she was chosen by FIFA to manage a global all-star women’s side last year.

LORD JOHN TAYLOR

Patron, Aston Villa FC

Lord John Taylor is the only black patron of a professional football club in England.

A barrister and writer, Lord Taylor has long been established in the game as a non-executive Director of the Independent Football Commission.

As the President of Ilford Town Football Club he is also in touch with the grassroots level of the game.

JASON ROCKETT

Chief Executive, Sheffield United Football Club

Rockett is the only black chief executive across all 92 professional football clubs in England.

Rockett, aged 38, made 196 appearances for Scarborough as a player, becoming their Player of the Year in 1997, before retiring from the game the following season.

In the latter years of his playing career he began to develop skills which would lead to a full-time role in commercial property. From there he worked up to surveyor and director with Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe's Scarborough Development Group.

In 2005 he was appointed Chief Executive of Sheffield United Football Club.

ALEX WILLIAMS

Manchester City in the Community, Director of Community Affairs

WILLIAMS has worked tirelessly on Manchester City’s community work and regularly advises the Premier League on its community relations strategies.

Many will remember Williams from his time at Manchester City, where he became the first black goalkeeper to play in the top division of English football making his first team debut in the 1980-81 season.

In 2001 his received an MBE for his work in the community.

DARREN LEWIS

Daily Mirror sports writer

LEWIS is recognised as one of the country’s leading sports writers having started writing for the Daily Mirror in 2000.

Although his main area of expertise is football, he also reports on snooker and tennis.

URIAH RENNIE

Premier League referee

RENNIE is the only black referee officiating in the Premier League.

Rennie began refereeing in 1979 in the local leagues and worked his way through the professional leagues. In 2000 he became a FIFA referee.

NOEL BLAKE

England Youth assistant coach

FORMER centre-half Blake is an assistant coach within the England Youth set up. He took charge of the U16s in the summer for a spell while Kenny Swain coached the England U17s at the World Cup.

Working with the best youngsters this country has to offer, Noel is a key part of bringing through the next generation of England stars.

PAUL ELLIOTT

Anti-racism ambassador

SINCE retiring from the game in the early 1990s, Elliott has been one of football’s most committed anti-racism campaigners.

In 2003, the former Chelsea and Celtic centre back was awarded the MBE for his work with young players and his involvement with anti-racism initiatives in football.

Since then he has been appointed as special advisor on football to the Commission for Racial Equality, and worked closely with the European Parliament, UEFA and FIFA on equality issues in the game.

An ambassador for the Kick It Out campaign since its inception in 1993, he is also ambassador for FIFPro, the international professional footballers union, and the Football Against Racism in Europe network. Elliott is also a Director on the Charlton Athletic Community Trust, and an FA Disciplinary board member.

He is employed as a pundit on Channel 5’s coverage of Italian football’s Serie A.

GARTH CROOKS

Football consultant

CROOKS is one of the most recognisable figures in the game and received an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 1999 for his services to football.

The former Spurs and Stoke City striker became the first black chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in 1988, before retiring from the game in 1990.

He has since been Chairman of the Football Foundation’s Grass Roots Advisory Group, a special advisor on football to the Commission for Racial Equality and a committee member of the Independent Football Commission.

A popular face on our screens, he has enjoyed a high profile media career as a match analyst for the BBC since 1982, reporting from all major international tournaments to date. You can now see Garth on the BBC’s Final Score programme every Saturday as a pundit.

LORD HERMAN OUSELEY

Chair of Kick It Out

A LORD and a Sir, Herman Ouseley is the founder and Chair of football’s anti-racism campaign, Kick It Out.

Lord Ouseley set up the Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football campaign in 1993, when he was the Chief Executive of the Commission for Racial Equality. The campaign, now called Kick It Out, has been widely acknowledged as one of the most effective and well respected in sport.

A Manchester United fan, and former semi professional footballer, he is passionate about the game.

A trustee on the Manchester United Foundation board Lord Ouseley was recently appointed to a three-man Independent Commission investigating an alleged breach of Premier League rules related to the registration of Argentina internationals Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano when they were with West Ham last August.

Lord Ouseley has been the driving force in raising issues of equality in football, at all levels.

CHRIS RAMSEY

Assistant Director of Tottenham Hotspur Academy

THE former Brighton defender is currently responsible for nurturing the next generation of Premier League stars to come through at White Hart Lane.

Ramsey is also active in the community, working with Dr Colin King of the Martin Shaw King Trust (MSKT) to mentor and encourage talented coaches from the Black community to gain FA coaching qualifications. He is also working with MSKT and Les Fevrier from Goal Sports Management to grant opportunities to exceptional playing talents in the community.

Ramsey has also been assistant manager at Luton Town, the FA's South- East regional director and assistant with the England Under-18 side.

TONY WHELAN

Assistant Director of the Manchester United Academy

THE first black player to play for Manchester United in the 1960s, Whelan is currently United's Assistant Academy Director for 9 - 16 year olds and head coach of the under 11s - 12s team.

Whelan is also the author of The Birth of the Babes: Manchester United Youth Policy, 1950-57 which examines the impact of youth development and the building of the Busby Babes side at United.

HEPBURN HARRISON-GRAHAM

Senior Producer, BBC Sport

HARRISON-GRAHAM may not be a familiar name to most football fans, but he is a well-respected figure in sports media circles.

A senior member of BBC Radio Sport, Harrison-Graham is a key decision maker on the content of football reports and programmes on BBC Five Live and other BBC Sport outlets.

Harrison-Graham is responsible for recruiting media football pundits including former players Paul Parker, Robbie Earle and Stan Collymore.

Many Voice readers will be familiar with his critically acclaimed radio documentary on the history of black footballers, Across the White Line.

RIO FERDINAND

England footballer and entrepreneur

FOOTBALL fans will be well acquainted with the Manchester United and England player’s talents on the pitch, but Ferdinand is the only current footballer in the list because of his work off the field.

Rio has set up a catalogue of companies including a successful property company, his record label, White Chalk, and a television company, Next Generation TV and Film, where he made his debut as a presenter and Executive Producer in Rio’s World Cup wind ups.

Away from commercial activities he is a supporter of the Princes Trust, the ‘Respect a Life, Not a Knife’ campaign run by the Damilola Taylor trust and an ambassador for football’s anti-racism campaign, Kick It Out.

RODNEY HINDS

Sports and Features Editor, The Voice Newspaper

A FAMILIAR name to Voice readers, Hinds has lead the way in representing and articulating the black community’s views on the game.

In 1999 he was co-author of a book called Black Pearls - An A-Z of Black Footballers in the English Game with Al Hamilton. His contribution to sports journalism was recognised when he won the Black Plus+ ‘Best Print Journalist’ and Victoria Mutual ‘Services to Cricket’ awards.

He regularly acts as sports analyst for BBC TV and radio and in recent times has penned his second book Black Lions – The Story of Black Footballers in England.

CHRIS KAMARA

Football pundit

FAST-TALKING Kamara has fast become a footballing cult figure since retiring from the game and working for Sky Sports as a pundit and presenter.

Kamara presents Sky Sports' Goals On Sunday show but is more renowned for the Soccer Saturday programme, where he appears over live video link providing brief updates on the match he is watching. His trademark catchphrase, "Unbelievable, Jeff!, to host Jeff Stelling has endeared him to the public.

The former Portsmouth and Leeds hard man was also one of the first black managers in the professional game having been in charge at Stoke City and Bradford City for short spells.

ROBBIE EARLE

Football analyst

EARLE currently works in television as a football commentator and pundit for ITV.

Many will remember Earle scoring Jamaica's first ever World Cup goal, against Croatia, in their debut World Cup campaign in 1998 and since retiring from the game he has been awarded an MBE for his services to football.

He has used his profile to raise awareness of issues close to his heart as an Honorary Patron 'Show Racism the Red Card' and appearing in television commercials promoting blood donation.

SKY ANDREWS

Football Agent

ANDREWS is one of the most well known football agents in the game.

A gifted table-tennis player, Andrews represented Great Britain at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. He looks after players including Jermaine Pennant, Leroy Lita and Sol Campbell.

His negotiating skills bagged Campbell a reported £100,000 a week deal when the England defender moved across North London from Spurs to Arsenal.

TONY FINNIGAN

Football advisor and mentor

VOICE of Sport columnist, Finnigan, heads up the Wright Wright Wright football agency.

Since the agency was set up in 1999 it has gone from strength to strength and boasts a client base including Premier League stars Nigel Reo Coker and Cameron Jerome, as well as exciting prospects Ishmael Miller and Jay Simpson.

HEATHER RABBATTS

Executive Deputy Chairman, Millwall FC

RABBATTS was head-hunted by the Millwall’s millionaire plc chairman, Peter de Savary, as executive deputy chairman in May 2006.

With a hugely impressive CV, the lawyer, businesswoman and broadcaster, is now running the show at the New Den and few doubt her to fail in turning around the under achieving South London club.

Shortly following her appointment she told The Independent newspaper, "My track record has always been about pushing back the boundaries and that's what excites me. I have this saying: 'It is better to live one day as a tiger than a hundred days as a sheep'."

JOHN BARNES

Pundit and former England footballer

ENGLAND’S most capped black player will always be highly regarded in the game for his achievements on the pitch. However, there is a strong feeling in the community that he still has a great deal to offer the game from the dug out.

But following his unsuccessful managerial debut for Glasgow giants Celtic the footballing icon has struggled to find another suitable post in football management.

He has since become a pundit on ITV and presented football coverage on channel five as well as having his own weekly football discussion show on LFC TV called The John Barnes Show, every Thursday.

A supporter of anti-racism campaigns Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card he also works as an ambassador for Save the Children.

LES FERDINAND

Former England footballer and Pundit

SIR Les, as he is affectionately known, was awarded an MBE in 2005 for his services to football.

The former Premier League hot shot is currently a pundit on Setanta Football’s Premiership coverage and has been vocal in the past on the lack of opportunities for black coaches and managers in the professional game.

He is currently gaining his coaching qualifications, and has expressed his intent on moving into football management in the future.

IAN WRIGHT

Former footballer and TV and radio presenter

THE effervescent Wright is a household name whose profile extends beyond football.

When the former Gunner talks people listen and since his retirement from the game he has become a media personality, appearing as a pundit on the BBC's Match of the Day and as a match analyst at recent European Championships and World Cups.

Away from football he has presented the National Lottery and numerous prime time television programmes.

He was awarded the MBE for his services to football in 2000, and he is the patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust.

Three of Wright's four children are professional footballers. His adopted son Shaun Wright-Phillips currently plays for Chelsea and England. Shaun's half-brother Bradley Wright-Phillips plays for Southampton. His youngest son Brett Wright is now a reserve team player for Reading.

He currently co-hosts the drive time slot from Monday to Thursday on Talksport.

BOBBY BARNES

Assistant Chief Executive of the PFA

BARNES is the highest ranking member of the black community in the administration of the professional game.

The former West Ham winger, is a key figure in the game and has been seen by some as a future successor to the PFA’s current Chief Executive Gordon Taylor in years to come.

Having enjoyed a long playing career that also took him to Hong Kong for a period Barnes worked as a financial accountant for an insurance company when he retired before being appointed as a Financial Executive by the Professional Footballers Association.

Currently the Assistant Chief Executive of the players union, he is involved in a number of areas of the organizations operations including helping members negotiate new contracts with their clubs.

Barnes’ is a trustee for football’s anti-racism campaign, Kick It Out, and alongside the PFA’s Equality Executive, Simone Pound, and Commercial Executive, Peter Smith, has lead the way in the Union’s work on equality.

BRENDON BATSON

Sports consultant

A PIONEER on and off the pitch, Batson has contributed a great deal to the game so it was no real surprise when he was awarded an MBE for services to football in 2000.

As a player he was one of the first black footballers in the 1970’s and 80’s playing for teams including West Brom, Arsenal and Cambridge.

After retiring from the game he established himself as one of the player union’s senior administrators rising to become deputy chief executive where he was instrumental in developing the organisation into one of the most important trade unions in the country.

In 2002 he returned to his beloved West Bromwich Albion for a spell as Managing Director of the club, and he is currently a consultant on disciplinary and equality issues for the Football Association, as well as the Executive Chairman of sports players union, the Professional Players Federation

CHRIS POWELL

PFA Chairman and Charlton Athletic player/coach

THE affable Powell is the current Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association and is a player/coach at Charlton Athletic.

When taking on the role of Chairman of the players union he said, “My aim is to represent all the players in the PFA and that includes all the divisions and even members in the conference. The principle of the PFA is equality of treatment for all and I believe in it.”

One of the most well liked players in the game, the former England left back is expected to move into football management when he decides to hang up his boots.

A big supporter of community initiatives set up by his clubs and the PFA it’s no surprise that an online petition was created to ask Prime Minister Gordon Brown to award Powell with a knighthood for his "work and support of his local communities".

Chris is certainly one to watch over the next few years.

PAUL INCE

MK Dons Manager and former England captain

FORMER hard man Ince has made the switch from being the Guvnor on the field, to off it to great effect.

The only black manager in professional football in England has recently been linked to managerial positions at Premier League clubs following his successful start to the season with Milton Keynes Dons and having saved League Two side Macclesfield from relegation last season.

Many in the game see it as only a matter of time before England’s first black captain, becomes the Premier League’s first black British manager.

CHRIS NATHANIEL

Football agent

ENTREPENEUR Nathaniel is one of the most up and coming young agents on the scene.

Having started out in the music industry he began working in football after negotiating a 7 figure commercial deal for England captain John Terry.

He has since gone on to work with some of the biggest names in the game such as Rio Ferdinand, Micah Richards, Obafemi Martins and Ryan Bbbel.

His company NVA Management is fast becoming one of the big players in the game.

Do you agree with the names on the list? Who should be on it? Let us know your views.

Published: 20 March 2008
Issue: 1313

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