Jump to content
IGNORED

Ethnic Minorities


Louis

Recommended Posts

Are Everton doing enough to get kids from a minority background involved with football?

 

I was reading a magazine earlier this week that concluded of 2.3million Asians in the country, only 5 are professional players. Now I understand that London, Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford reportedly have the largest minority communities in the country but after Liverpool 08 a lot more people of minority backgrounds will be coming to Liverpool.

 

After a quick search on the internet I found that 5% of Liverpool citizens are of a ethnic minority. Off the top of my head I can think of several small communities in Toxteth area where I lived last year; Yemeni, Somali, Chinese, Polish, Bangladeshi and the Caribbean centre on Upper Parliament street tries cater for all, not just the caribbean people. In Toxteth each community seemingly fails to socialise with the others but it may be naive of me but I think that Everton could help integrate the communities together by inviting children to play football together at a sports local club.

 

I think Walsall(?) have a similar partnership with a Khalsa Academy in their area, they introduce kids to other kids and have regular football games and the best players are put through to the school of excellence as part of the deal. It's the incentive for parents to allow their children to play.

 

Wolves have encouraged Asian people to go to their games and even gone as far as to have a Wolves Punjabi supporters club and given them official supporters club trust status.

 

It works both ways, the communities become a bit more integrated and Everton are able to look at more youth players in the area.

 

We have signed Chinese players in the past we all know about Li Tie's exploites until his injury took away his sparkle whilst Li Wei Feng lost his on the flight over here ;) and I remember a piece in the echo saying it was encouraging otherwise neutral Chinese people in the city to take an active interest in the club.

 

We have three Anglo-Poles currently in the squad all of whom have been brought in by Moyes, Jagielka, Johnson and Jutkiewicz - maybe Lukasz' international selection will tilt a few Polish heads in our direction.

 

Three players in ten years have come through the youth ranks had Danny Cadamarteri (England, Italy, Nigeria, Jamaica and Ireland!), James Vaughan (Mixed Race - it will be interesting to see if he switches international allegiance should his England hopes falter - although they shouldn't)and Vic Anichebe (Nigeria/England) but in my opinion it could and should be more.

 

Thanks for reading ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont agree with the whole Ethnic minorities / pigeon holing thing. I believe that perpetuates racism

 

We should look at people as a whole and judge them as individuals

 

Are Everton doing enough to get people from a any background into football

 

Do you class a boy from Dovecot who is English white, with teo parent working their arses off on low income in your analogy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fundamentally I don't, the reason is because the boy from Dovecot will be x generation English and will have grown up with football on the television and in all of the newspapers, he'll talk about it in school and probably play it with his friends. The opportunities for the boy to make it in football already exist.

 

The people that the topic post is concerning are those of second generation who's parents have grown up in their origin country and moved to Liverpool due to war or they want a better life for their children than they beleive their origin country could offer. The same children who are isolated and currently play no sport but have the potential to be great sportsmen. The children may grow up and decide to form their own football league away from everybody else because they have never socialised/integrated with others (as has happened with Indian communities). Trevor Brooking said the players are very skilfull but because they dont play with other cultures their style of football is not suited for the english profession and by 15 it is too late for them to make it as a pro.

 

Five years ago you wouldn't have thought that one of England's most promising boxers is of Pakistan descent or promising cricketers of Indian descent (actually, you would).

 

What I'm saying Zed is that we (Everton) should work with people who wouldn't normally get the opportunity because of social or cultural reasons :) Although in hindsight maybe Ethnic minorities wasn't the best title for the topic ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting Louis. For a start I'm amazed only there's only 5% ethnic minorities in Liverpool, hugely less than most cities but anything that can be done to spread the net to the benefit of Everton and the community I'm all for.

 

In an ideal world I'd completely go along with Zed, judge everyone as an individual but for that to happen everyone (or at least a significant majority) needs to go along with it and that's not gonna happen this side of armageddon as far as I can tell, certainly not down in this part of the country :angry: .

 

Didn't we have a Vietnamese boat refugee on the books as a kid many years back? He didn't make it but I'm sure we did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The premiership is a hard physical place to play your football.Muscle and inner strength are these days vital to succeed,as is an ability to avoid injury!.I wonder if alot of say Asian and other third world countries are able to produce players to that standard.....if so where are they?

I know the skill factor could be present in abundance within those players, but maybe that's not enough on a February evenning away at Bolton.....or any day of the week with Lescott pounding the turf behind you!

 

Yobo and Drogba are examples of African lads making it....but they found their way here and are in the minority.We may just have to pay the going rate for players like Yobo.Rather than spend big money on scouts and training schools in the four corners of the world....wouldn't we be better charged with finding on our own bloody doorsteps....the likes of Boyhood Blues Owen,

Fowler, McManerman, Gerrard, Barton, Rooney, Osman............and relying on Moyes to spot the potential of players such as Cahill and Lescott!

 

Get it right in your own back yard before you go of around the world....Wasn't Baines on our books as a lad once?

 

I'd love nothing more than to a find the worlds greatest player kicking a bundle of rags around his poverty stricken village.....But whilst your looking for him, someone might just look into your back yard and find the next Rooney!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was talking about talent on our doorstep 250, Toxteth to be exact..

 

 

GOOD....GOOD!I wasn't saying anyone who had posted had got it wrong!In fact I just went for my own take on things!

 

surely Everton have done as well as most and better than a lot at finding local talent, problem is we havn't always realised what we had.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The premiership is a hard physical place to play your football.Muscle and inner strength are these days vital to succeed,as is an ability to avoid injury!.I wonder if alot of say Asian and other third world countries are able to produce players to that standard.....if so where are they?

I know the skill factor could be present in abundance within those players, but maybe that's not enough on a February evenning away at Bolton.....or any day of the week with Lescott pounding the turf behind you!

 

Am I interrupting that wrong? Are you saying that everyone other than players from developed countries are too weak to play football in Britain? As muscle can easily be built up, look at Hasslebaink when he was first at Leeds, and to claim that some of the Asians and third would potential players are too weak minded or not motivated enough then I seriously think you are misled.

 

I actually wanted to do this for my dissertation but ended up changing my topic.

 

I think that clubs are already actively trying to get more ethnic people into football, unfortunately I don't think its for the fact they could be a rough diamond of a player on their doorstep, nope, more of how much money they can make out of them. Think of places like Bradford, Manchester, etc, if all those ethnic minorities decided to get into football the revenue for the local teams would increase quite a lot.

 

As you said, look at the places like Bradford, massive ethnic population yet in the ground on a Saturday you'll be very lucky to sport a person from an ethnic background.

 

Also, I think if you try and encourage the ethnic people like one club did when they had an Asian only tournament then you can also isolate the fans you have already. It also doesn't help when most ethnic people are already interested in another sport other than football, such as cricket and hockey.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I interrupting that wrong? Are you saying that everyone other than players from developed countries are too weak to play football in Britain

 

Where did I say everyone?

 

Am I interrupting that wrong? Are you saying that everyone other than players from developed countries are too weak to play football in Britain? As muscle can easily be built up,

 

OK!....So muscle can easily be built up!Then I suggest that on Monday morning, Osman, Piennar, Kissock, AJ and probably a few others form an orderly queue outside the physio's for a dose of whatever it is that just been invented.Peter Crouch might just be interested in this new pill, as with an extra bit of muscle it could just stop half the nation taking the piss!......It isn't that easy.Especially for certain ethnic groups.

 

I actually wanted to do this for my dissertation but ended up changing my topic.

 

Why did you change your mind?.....What did you do in the end, just interested!

 

You use Hasslebaink as an example.........Isn't he African or something!That's one nation that has already thrown up plenty of great footballers, with plenty of muscle!

 

But you did make some good points on the subject TrueBlue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... after Liverpool 08 a lot more people of minority backgrounds will be coming to Liverpool.

 

Do you think this will necessarily be the case I for one had never heard of the capital of culture scheme before it went to Liverpool and everyone went nuts over it. Do you really think it will be promoted widely around Europe that Liverpool is

 

CAPITAL OF CULTURE!!!!!!! <_<

 

Or do you think most people will go "meh" :huh: I mean maybe I just haven't been paying attention but when this has come around before I haven't heard of it. Can anyone here honestly say that they knew what the previous Capitals of Culture were before Liverpool won the bid. I am betting no, I am sure that some people might know them now because of all the promotion there has been after Liverpool won the bid. I am not saying it will not be a good thing for Liverpool because it will bring investment into the city which it sorely needs but I don't think it will result in Liverpool being viewed any differently in years to come.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think hegemony, the norm, the accepted way & individual cultures have a big bearing on this.

 

Sport in many cultures is still just looked upon as a game. ( espec in older generations) hence the kids getting the stare when sport wants to overide other activities.

 

I have an asian boy in my team, A 1st gen Refugee of Burmhese extraction. He LOVES Football, is his outlet from a pretty pressured, directed, parent structured life.

 

I understand their stand. Refuggees from miltary juntaa'd gun totting fuked up Myanmar ( I still call Bhurma) thye simply want oppo's for their son they never had a chance of & sport is not high on the list.

 

Piano lessons are , Education is king as is the maths & chess clubs & of course the fuking church :)

 

could he be a decent footballer ? Yeh sure, Big strong lad, good touch, great mind , listener etc, very coachable etc.

 

However, he is fighting an uphill battle wif Mum & Dad.

 

Case in point or Difficulty #2 with Sth East Asian Players. Theyre so damned Respectfull, tooo dmaned respectfull of everything n everyone.

 

It is hard to teach aggresion to such mellow people.

 

However, the day he arrived 10 mins after kick off, becuase of a PIANO LESSON....he ran staright on ( AFter givin MUm an almighty spray in Bhurmese) for a man o the match performance & kicked the shit outa everybody. So it is there :)

 

Hoping Piano, choir & chess dont clash next season & I have my Rangoon wrecking ball champing @ the bit :)

 

However, have since ran in to the Lad's Mum in off season ( here) & had a chat. Lucky for him, his parents are a bit switched on & realise the importrance of this GAME in his life.

 

She related that it is a) 1 of the few interactive things he does wif every day Aussie kids, B) It's helping with integration for the whole family ( being involved) c) Helping him grow in confiodence * not be so shy d) Last but leaset he now hates FUKING Piano. :)

 

This is not an isolated but common story in regards to the trials n tribulations of new arrivals. Well 1 tiny part of what any new arrival faces & prob not the most importnat one, hence piano & chess club, robbing us of poss great footballers .

 

Thats my take on the subject ( partialy anyway - ill be here all day otherwise)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I interrupting that wrong? Are you saying that everyone other than players from developed countries are too weak to play football in Britain

 

Where did I say everyone?

 

Am I interrupting that wrong? Are you saying that everyone other than players from developed countries are too weak to play football in Britain? As muscle can easily be built up,

 

OK!....So muscle can easily be built up!Then I suggest that on Monday morning, Osman, Piennar, Kissock, AJ and probably a few others form an orderly queue outside the physio's for a dose of whatever it is that just been invented.Peter Crouch might just be interested in this new pill, as with an extra bit of muscle it could just stop half the nation taking the piss!......It isn't that easy.Especially for certain ethnic groups.

 

I actually wanted to do this for my dissertation but ended up changing my topic.

 

Why did you change your mind?.....What did you do in the end, just interested!

 

You use Hasslebaink as an example.........Isn't he African or something!That's one nation that has already thrown up plenty of great footballers, with plenty of muscle!

 

Well to start off, I used Hasslebaink as an example as when he first came to Leeds George Graham (I think it was him) thought he was too thin and lightweight for the Premiership so put him on a weight gain and muscle build program for 1-2 months.

 

Muscle building isn’t too difficult; a lot of players have and will continue to build on their strength. If you went to the gym for a month and trained 5/6 days a week then I’m pretty sure that after a month you could see a difference. I don’t know the exact reasons why players aren’t told to put more muscle on, maybe the risk of more injury, the loss of pace. Maybe they feel they don’t need any more muscle. So can you please explain to me why certain ethnic groups find it difficult to gain strength?

 

I also changed my topic of my dissertation to: How, if at all, has the atmosphere at football grounds changed over the past 15 years. With taking into consideration the new style of football grounds and the ever increasing ticket prices. I haven't actually done any of it yet, still in early days of planning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So can you please explain to me why certain ethnic groups find it difficult to gain strength?

 

 

 

The premiership is a hard physical place to play your football.Muscle and inner strength are these days vital to succeed,as is an ability to avoid injury!.I wonder if alot of say Asian and other third world countries are able to produce players to that standard.....if so where are they?

I know the skill factor could be present in abundance within those players, but maybe that's not enough on a February evenning away at Bolton.....or any day of the week with Lescott pounding the turf behind you.

 

 

"why certain ethnic groups find it difficult to gain strength"....Did I say I knew!, I think I used the phrase "I Wonder"......If there is a reason it's going to be something like Genetics....again!

I don't know!Five years down the line the premership could have many Asian players, if one plays for Everton fantastic! If they score the winning goal in a derby game I wouldn't care if they came from MARS!

 

You won't remember a player called Nobby Stiles(probably too young)!...Small, very short sighted and skinny....Genetics weren't exactly very kind to old Nobby!......I believe he's one of only a couple of Englishmen who have won both the World Cup and the European Cup...what he didn't pick up from the gene pool, he more than compensated for with raw energy and passion and obviously not a small amount of talent!(would like to add I too am to young to have seen Mr Stiles in action).....My point Genetics can be overcome.

 

Hasslebaink was a good example of a player being able to increase their strength...There's probably plenty though who have found it too demanding.

 

Just think if you'd stuck with this as your dissertation.....you could perhaps give us the full story!

 

Your present topic of atmosphere at football grounds!....you should be abl to get a lot of infomation from this forum!

 

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...