England manager Fabio Capello
Kick It Out marked the start of the One Game, One Community weeks of action on Thursday, with a show of support from the England team and their manager Fabio Capello.
The England boss is asking fans, players, clubs and community groups from the grassroots to the England team to join him in supporting 1000 events taking place during a fortnight-long period to highlight diversity, equality and anti-discrimination across football.
"Football is more than a sport. It is a phenomenon with an international language all of its own,” said Capello.
“The One Game, One Community weeks of action shows all that is good about football. Our ability to work and live together and break down barriers should never be underestimated.”
You can watch Fabio Capello give the campaign his support below:
The England team have also given the campaign their backing, and the full squad posed in One Game One Community t-shirts in a break from training ahead of their final World Cup qualifier with Belarus. The photo of the team can be seen at the bottom of the page, and enlarged by clicking on it.
Ambassadors
Many players will be acting as ambassadors for the period. Aston Villa’s Ashley Young, Chelsea’s Michael Essien, West Ham’s Jack Collison and Tottenham’s Robbie Keane will all be representing their clubs during October.
Manchester United ambassador John O’Shea said: “When Manchester United play football we play together as a team, our backgrounds don’t come into it.
"People are discriminated against for many different reasons and as a society we have to realise that the population is always changing. We need to become more tolerant and accepting and work together. “
Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "Kick it Out continue to work extremely hard to promote inclusive practices at all levels of football and the Premier League and our clubs are very pleased to continue to support their work.
'Diversity'
"We are proud of the diversity of the Premier League. With more than 60 different nationalities represented amongst the players and an increasingly diverse fan-base the Premier League spreads a message of equality and inclusion throughout the game and beyond."
Away from match day activities, which include flag parades and fans mosaics, clubs will be opening their doors to local amateur and youth sides to debate issues and opportunities in grassroots football. Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Bradford City will all host forums.
In addition, community activities such as drama productions, football tournaments and living libraries, will all make their own unique contribution to the One Game, One Community message.
The passion the disabled have for football and the problem of homophobia will be amongst the issues covered by fan projects with the National Association of Disabled Fans and the Gay Footballer Supporters Network all involved in activities.
