The Football Black List is designed to highlight deserving Black figures in football whose work in the community often goes uncelebrated and this year includes the managers of Tooting and Mitcham FC.
Ashley Bosah and Cornelius Nwadialor are named on the list alongside top footballers such as Marcus Rashford, Tyrone Mings, Troy Deeney, Wilfred Zaha and Chloe Morgan.
The list was founded in 2008 by sports journalists Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds to highlight the positive influencers from the Black community in the sport.
Bosah said: “It is great to be named on this prestigious list and have the grassroots level of the game highlighted.
“I hope that it can inspire some of the young players we coach to consider the wide variety of roles in football beyond just playing.”
Nwadialor added: “It is amazing to be recognised in this way amongst so many great names.
“It shows that people recognise the difference we are trying to make at the club and within our community by helping players achieve their goals, be it in the professional game of football or just generally progressing within their personal lives.”
The list is decided by a panel of experts from the Black community and football industry who vote independently on nominations made by the public.
The panel is made up of representatives from the Premier League, The Football Association, Professional Footballers’ Association, League Managers Association, English Football League, PGMOL, FARE, BCOMS and Kick It Out.
The pair coach young men aged 16 – 23 and have been at the club since 2012, they were appointed joint first team managers in 2018/2019.
Caroline McRoyall, chair of Tooting and Mitcham said: “It’s great for them to be recognised for the work they do. For them it’s not just about the coaching and management, they work with these young people developing them as individuals and human beings rather than just players.
“We seem to naturally attract young black men from all over London not just the local area, many travel to the club because they feel safe its a safe environment for them and probably because of the role models Ashley and Cornelius provide.
“We’ve had so many messages of support, likes and retweets.”
“There has been a lot of support from players who were in the club and who have gone onto higher levels thanks to Ashley and Cornelius.”
The full Football Black List, including the Tooting and Mitcham managers can be found here.
And you can read about how Tooting and Mitcham’s supporters have got behind the club during the coronavirus pandemic here.
