Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies
Having made his loan move from West Brom to Aston Villa permanent this summer, Curtis Davies has been part of a Villa side that has made an impressive start to the 2008/09 season.
Villa have a got a great batch of young homegrown players; how do you think you'll fare this season?
I’m confident about the season ahead and, with the new batch of players in, there’s no reason we can’t maintain or even up our progress.
The club has made active steps to attract more supporters from ethnic minorities through the gates through some very creative work in Aston. Is it an example other clubs should be following?
I’d like to think so. All clubs want to attract as many supporters as possible. Because Villa play in Aston, an area where the ethnic minority population is high, it means that much of the local fan base represent these communities.
I know this doesn’t apply everywhere but wherever possible, yes, clubs should certainly reach out to supporters from ethnic minority groups, particularly if they’re on their doorstep.
You were raised in London but now live in Birmingham. Both are multi-cultural cities. Have you found a difference between the two?
The only difference I’ve found is that London is a bit bigger! In fact, moving away has made me realise just how big it is. And, like London, Birmingham has a really diverse mix of people so for me, it been an easy process to settle in.
Where are the Asian players?
That’s a good question. From my own childhood experience of playing football at school, the Asian kids in my class were just as good, and as passionate, as everyone else.
It was when I reached my mid-teens, and beginning to think seriously about playing professionally, that I realised that the interest from these kids had tailed off. Perhaps it’s a cultural issue, a lack of role models, or both. But it’s certainly not to do with a lack of talent.
A lot of disabled fans talk about the enormous sacrifices they make to get to games, the difficulties they face, from a players perspective what does that mean to you?
Any fan that travels the length and breadth of the country to watch us put a shirt on gets my utmost respect. So for a supporter who may be suffering from a disability to attend week in week out shows that they’re letting nothing get in between them and their football. Its unbelievable dedication.
Part of our remit is to raise the issue of the lack of openly gay players in football. It still seems to be an issue. Why do you think that is?
No one has come out as being gay for such a long time so its difficult to say. Football is always seen as a ‘man’s’ game, so there are macho attitudes both on and off the pitch. My take on the matter is simple; as long as a player does the business during 90 minutes, his sexual persuasion just doesn’t come into. I’d rather be playing alongside the best player in the world who is gay, than someone who’s not good enough.
As a mixed race male how have you found having a dual heritage, both as a professional footballer and as a youngster?
Being of mixed race didn’t cause me any issues as a youngster. I grew up in Leyton. For those who don’t know it, it’s a particularly diverse part of London where people from all different backgrounds mixed on a daily basis. I might have found it different elsewhere, but in my area it was the norm.
Who did you look up to as a child?
My Dad and brother, both of whom were a big influence. As an aspiring centre back, Rio Ferdinand was an inspiration for me. People often criticise English defenders for not being ball players. They should look at Rio. He can do it all.
What was the best piece of advice you’ve been given?Again, my Dad always urged me to be honest with myself. When I compared myself to a pub player last season its simply because I was being honest with myself. Another great piece of advice was from one of my first youth team coaches, John Moore. I always recall one of his sayings; “If you’re doing well, try harder.”
At the time, I wondered what he meant, particularly if I was running my socks off. But it was just his way of keeping me grounded. And I still take put it into practice to this day.
An abridged version of this interview appears in this year's One Game, One Community publication, which can be viewed in full by clicking here.
