All Premier League fixtures between 18–26 October - including Saturday's home clash against Fulham - are dedicated to the Premier League campaign. Activity across the two-week window is designed to tackle discrimination and highlight the importance of diversity in football.
Ahead of kick-off at St. James' Park on Saturday, players from both teams will take the knee to show unity against all forms of discrimination. No Room For Racism branding will also feature around the stadium, through a branded ball plinth and pitchside LED boards.
'Inspiring Greatness'
This year's campaign activity places emphasis on education. Schoolchildren around the country have been invited to participate in a Premier League Primary Stars poetry competition to celebrate diversity. Newcastle United Foundation worked with schools across the North East to entice entries around the theme of 'Greatness Comes From Everywhere'.
The club's winning entry is Year 5 pupil Katherine from St Bernadette's Primary School in Wallsend. Her inspiring poem will be published in this weekend's official matchday programme and will advance to the national stage of the competition. Newcastle United's Anthony Elanga has already shown his support for Katherine's work, praising its powerful message.
Entries from each Premier League club will now be judged by a panel consisting of journalists, writers, members of the National Literacy Trust and Premier League Charitable Fund, plus former Premier League players - including Magpies legend Shola Ameobi.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: "The Premier League and our clubs strongly believe that football is for everyone. Through the No Room For Racism Action Plan, we are committed to fighting discrimination and ensuring there is greater diversity across all areas of the game.
"We remain steadfast in our belief that there is no place for racism in football and wider society. We will continue to support players and others within the game who are subjected to this unacceptable abuse, and will do all we can to ensure action is taken against those responsible.
"I am proud of all the work that underpins No Room For Racism and this will remain a priority for us. We know there is more that can be done to provide opportunities for people from all backgrounds and we will continue to reinforce the message that discrimination will not be tolerated."
The No Room For Racism Action Plan was launched in 2021, outlining a series of targets and commitments aimed at creating greater access to opportunities and career progression for Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups in football, along with steps to eradicate racial prejudice.
A core part of this is educating young people through community programmes, encouraging discussion on the strength of diversity and the harm that is caused by discrimination.
The Premier League's specialist team supports players and others working within the game who experience online abuse with investigations, while a combination of platform filtering, monitoring activities and real-world sanctions has helped drive down the number of reports received from players.
Challenge it, report it, change it.
Fans have a role to play in creating inclusive matchday environments by reporting incidents of alleged discrimination. If discriminatory behaviour is witnessed while attending a match, please report this immediately, where possible, by contacting the nearest steward.
Alternatively, you can contact the confidential text service on 60070, with the word 'HELP' giving your location (seat, row, block, stand) and a brief description of the incident.
On non-matchdays, supporters can report incidents by email via [email protected].
