Davinson’s history lesson

Davinson Sanchez today (Tuesday 20 October) took part in an educational workshop around Black History Month, delivered throughout October by the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation for local young people.

The Colombian defender joined five Tottenham teenagers in a socially-distanced session, held within our stadium’s giant NFL locker room.

Davinson quizzed the young people on their knowledge of key black figures in football history, including Walter Tull.

The first black outfield player in English football, Walter made 10 appearances for Spurs between 1909-1911 before transferring to Northampton Town.

He later became the first British-born black combat officer in the British Army, losing his life during the Battle of the Somme in World War One.

Following the quiz, it was the young people’s turn to ask questions of Davinson, relating to his own upbringing and the inspirations during his career.

The 24-year-old said: “Education is so important when it comes to creating a more inclusive society – this is why it is so important for us to celebrate Black History Month. It is fantastic that our Foundation is delivering these sessions to local young people – I am proud to be involved and play for a Club like this.”

The educational workshops form part of a wider campaign the Club has been delivering throughout Black History Month.

Jose Mourinho conducted a virtual press conference for students from the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS) initiative. BCOMS aims to be the first port of call both for black professionals in the sports media and talented newcomers looking to develop their careers, creating greater diversity within the sports media.

Meanwhile, a group of our coaching staff – Ledley King, Chris Powell and Troy Archibald-Henville – joined Foundation CEO Sarah Ebanja for a panel discussion aimed at inspiring the next generation of black coaches. Five local young people from our Passion 4 Coaching programme had the benefit of putting their questions to the panel.

The matchday programme for last Sunday’s match against West Ham also featured a special edition front cover, celebrating Black History Month.