Club

Seeraj and Ayisi named on 2022 Football Black List

February 2nd, 2023

Dr Michael Seeraj and Freda Ayisi have both been recognised in the 2022 Football Black List - an initiative shining a light on the most influential black people in British football.

Dr Seeraj, the club's Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), has won the LGBTQ+ award for his work challenging homophobia in society through football, while Addicks midfielder Ayisi was named in the commercial category for her content creation skills.

The pair join Premier League stars Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford on the 2022 list.

The Football Black List, founded in 2008 by sports journalists Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds, highlights leaders working across all areas of the game from the Black community.

A panel of experts drawn from the football industry and the Black community independently vote on nominations made by the public to determine who makes the list.

The panel included representation from the Premier League, The Football Association, League Managers Association, English Football League, PGMOL, BCOMS and Kick It Out.

The list recognises people across eight categories:

• Administration
• Coaching & Management
• Commercial
• Community
• Players
• LGBTQ+
• Media
• Practitioners

The Ugo Ehiogu ‘Ones to Watch’ category – which identifies talented, young people in the industry under 30 years of age – shall also be released alongside the main list.

We are delighted to announce that the Football Black List celebration will return in person in London next month for the first time since 2019.

Leon Mann MBE, co-founder of the Football Black List, said: “We are delighted to be sharing another incredible and inspirational Football Black List. Black excellence shines so brightly in the game and this list underlines that.

“I am particularly proud to see the list now feature Board members, and managers at the top of the game but clearly we still have a long way to go to see better representation in football. However, we are highlighting those leading the way. We are proud of these individuals and the impact they are making.”

Fellow co-founder of the initiative, Rodney Hinds, added: “It’s an unusual time for the list to be revealed in The Voice but it is no less important.

The mixture of elite and grassroots names on The List is exciting and further underpins the great work that many from our community do within the football industry.

The Voice is delighted to be the exclusive home of the Football Black List and we look forward to showcasing many more inspiring individuals.

Please find the full Football Black List 2022 below:

Players: