'You have to see it to believe it': Meet the trio named among the most influential Black people in British football

Jade Morgan, general manager of Leicester City women's team, Administration award

On most Monday's when the phone rings for Jade Morgan, general manager of Leicester City women's team, more often than not, it's a request for a player or the manager. Much to her surprise - this call was for her. And deservedly so, she had been nominated and recognised in the Administration category for the Football blacklist awards - the initiative that celebrates the most influential Black people in football.

"Let's just say it made my Monday morning. I was so shocked. I normally get calls because people want players or the manager and I'm just the middleman. So to get something for me was actually really nice," she laughs.

Morgan's rise to the top of administration started as an eager volunteer whilst working full-time. Now armed with her degree in international business and globalisation and currently doing an MBA in football industries, Morgan says this is more than a job for her: "It's my way of life."

"I suppose I've taken the club from tier three football right up to tier two. We've gone from being a volunteer-lead amateur club to semi-professional and now a fully professional club - it has been an interesting journey, to say the least," she says.

Interesting would be to underplay to what she has achieved. At just 30, Morgan has already accomplished what most people set out to achieve in a lifetime. Under her leadership, and in the last two years, Leicester City have been promoted to the Championship and the team was the only second-tier side in the quarterfinals of the 2019-20 Women's FA Cup, beating well-established WSL side Reading to get there. They have now turned fully professional, and with help of club legend Emile Heskey as an ambassador, their high rise is set to continue.

By Morgans' own admission, growing up she was not the 'muddy knees, footballing type', that was a role that her sister Holly Morgan, captain of Leicester City, thrived in.

"My sister was always the football player. And I was actually very much into dancing, singing, acting - that was my world," says Morgan, reflecting on her childhood.

"I always had a bit of a business head - I decided to do my bachelor's degree in international business and globalisation. It was being around the football environment and obviously, with the trajectory of the women's game really growing, it put me in the position I'm in."

Morgan modestly puts down her success to being in the right place at the right time. Nonetheless, her appointment as general manager five years ago was the breath of fresh air that was desperately needed to bring direction and leadership to a then amateur set up.

"I wanted to make football a bit more corporate-lead. To implement strategy and longer roadmaps and it is not just about the short-term goals. The fine margins on the field get us that next win. But it's also the fine margins, and what you're doing off the field that is equally important. It all goes hand in hand"

The journey to running one of the most successful Championship teams hasn't been without its fair set of challenges. Like many black women who have previously been marginalised, she has shown tenacity and persistence to try to change the sport from the inside. Though she says it is all part of learning on the job, she also recognises and embraces her responsibility to inspire in her role: "I'm a black woman in a male-dominated sport, I've got to constantly be my best. I want to be seen as the real deal and to be taken seriously.

"I'm constantly just trying to be the best version of myself so that I can be the best role model. I believe you have to see it to believe it. I didn't see it growing up and I hope that by me being in this role, I can help younger girls have similar aspirations"

Annette Nelson - Football v Homophobia Education Lead, Inaugural LGBTQ+ award

Visibility can be a double-edged sword for those who belong to more than one marginalised community group.

Growing up in the 1960s, Annette Nelson noted that at times, she often felt too visible. The harrowing experiences of racial abuse and discrimination at an early age still stand out in her mind and 'othered' her from early on.

"In those days, racism and discrimination was overt. The visible bit was being a black woman, people could see my blackness and would react to that. They couldn't see that I was from the LGBTQ+ community unless I told them, there was the real kind of difference"

As an enthusiastic football-mad seven-year-old growing up in Derby, her attendance at stadium grounds was often met with hostility.

"When I was a kid, I used to always go with my brothers to the matches and we stood on the terraces and experienced so much racism around us. From hearing monkey chants to seeing things being thrown, it wasn't a nice place to be."

Although she now looks back and realises the severity of the abuse she suffered, Nelson says this experience was one of the motivating factors behind her pursuing a teaching career and thus her transition to joining Football v Homophobia.

"I saw the need for some kind of counterbalance to the racism that young pupils were experiencing in those days.  Football is such a brilliant medium, to have a discussion with young people about fairness and equality. I knew I wasn't alone in my experience - it right and need to be addressed."

Nelson has been a member of the Football v Homophobia core team since she retired as a teacher in 2015. The classroom is where she feels at home she says, and she has taken the years of teaching experience and transferred that into being the Football v Homophobia educational lead.

The freedom to teach and educate as she wishes and as needed is an important part of Nelson's legacy. In some of the most influential years of her teaching career, Nelson came under the highly controversial Section 28 legislation set out by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government.

The clause, part of the Local Government Act 1988, banned the "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities and in Britain's schools. "Mrs Thatcher said very clearly that you couldn't promote homosexuality. And there was so much fear around those issues. And I think in education, that fear still exists, which is why football is so important. The medium of the sport actually gives you an inroad to schools - teachers and pupils don't find it threatening."

The work that Football v Homophobia does provides a much needed safe community and thus a safer society for LGBTQ+ and Black and minority ethnic groups. Through education, teaching community cohesion and acceptance, Nelson inspires young people to make football a better place for everyone.

When asked how she feels being about being the recipient of the inaugural LGBTQ+ award for the Football Blacklist, Nelson laughs and quickly plays down her role in this achievement.

"It's nice but it's not just about me, this is about all those groups and organisations that work day to day to challenge the homophobia and the racism. There is so much amazing work being done in this area but there is still plenty to do. I'm just happy to be involved."

Hayley Bennett, co-founder of Nutmegs, Practitioner award

"I believe in the power of football to bring people together. However, I say that with a pinch of salt. Because I know that it excludes a lot of people."

Hayley Bennett, 28, takes no prisoners when it comes to sharing why football needs to do more for inclusion and diversity.

"Don't get me wrong, I've met some amazing people through football but I know that there is so much more that can be done." she says.

Hayley's sheer passion and enthusiasm for her work as leading inclusion and diversity practitioner can be sensed through her tone. She casts her mind back to the moment that sparked the 'inner social activist' in her.

"I remember being 14 or 15-years-old and it was around the 2006 World Cup. I wasn't sporty but my friends bought a football in and we started playing football in the playground." she pauses and laughs for a moment, contemplating where she should share the next point.

"Like, it sounds so ignorant, but I honestly didn't know women played football for teams until I was around 15, which seems ridiculous. And that's because I didn't have access to role models." She laughs and continues her initial point.

"Instead of encouraging this group of inactive teenagers for using their initiative and playing a sport, the teacher pulled us aside and said 'you can't play football, you are wearing a skirt'. I think that really sort of made me think more about the role that women have in sport and opened up my eyes to see what was out there."

It's an experience that sticks with Bennett and a story that serves as a stark reminder of the inequalities that women and girls face in sports.

Bennett's career started in education and she ran anti-racism workshops for leading football equality and inclusion organisation - Kick It Out. She then took her skills to media, banking, finance, and other industries before returning to football as a specialist.

However, it is her pioneering work with her own organisation, Nutmegs, that has catapulted her to the top of the Practitioner category for the Football Blacklist Awards.

"I had so many conversations with my co-founder Ammarah about needing space for women like us. We are women of colour that don't want to go to pubs to enjoy a football game. Yet that shouldn't exclude us, we still need a place to feel welcomed and comfortable."

Through her organisation, Nutmegs, Bennett is creating an inclusive and safe environment where women and non-binary people can share their passion for football. The collective is committed to ensuring no woman or non-binary person is excluded from football.

"From researching we realised, there is a lot of fear and resentment towards trans women, and trans people in general. And we wanted to make sure that we were inclusive, which is why when we say we are a space for women, within that, we mean trans women, trans men, and also non-binary people as well."

"There are not many spaces in football that use inclusive language, they'll say female football because of an iteration, not knowing that they could potentially be excluding people and that is really damaging."

It is a simple idea but one that holds great value to Bennett who is essentially providing the space for women whose voices are often overlooked and not represented in media. The cohort of women and non-binary people that attend her forums and events are multigenerational.

"It's more so important for the older generation. We have older women that come to Nutmegs, maybe like my parent's age. They must have missed out on so many opportunities to see people who look like them in any sort of capacity in sport."

She adds: "I think it's a shame that we've lost so many generations because there hasn't been that visibility. But we will continue running Nutmegs until there isn't a need for us to forge our own communities and spaces."

This year has presented communities with challenges they didn't envision due to COVID-19. Its impact on women's sport has been catastrophic and the ripple effect might be something that continues to be felt in the coming years. However, black women in sports continue to be at the forefront of activism and change. The narrative of intersectionalities on gender, race and sexuality are often missing in sport, yet these award winners are unapologetically changing football from the inside.

Leon Mann, co-founder of the Football Blacklist, said: "Every Black woman on this year's Football Black List has played a key role within their communities, organisation or business in the response to the global pandemic. They are an inspiration and we are delighted to highlight their excellence in the football industry."