Usborne’s New Book, Football Skills, is now out!
SRtRC Patron Naomi Bedeau attended Usborne’s launch of their new book, Football Skills, on 6th June in Leicester. The event celebrated the latest edition of the book, co-authored by Katie Daynes and Simon Tudhope. SRtRC Campaign Coordinator, Richard Offiong, and Professional Footballer, Naomi Bedeau, supported the book’s development by advising on its content.
I’m honoured to be the professional adviser on football skills, which not only teaches young children football skills but also champions diversity and inclusion in the game. Growing up, I didn’t always see people who looked like me in football, and this book aims to change that. As a Black female, I’ve also experienced the subtle challenges of sexism and racism, something I touch on in the book. Combining practical skills with an important anti-racism message, it provides a powerful opportunity for children to see themselves in football, feel empowered, and know that football is for everyone.
– Naomi Bedeau, SRtRC Patron & Professional Footballer
As part of her introduction to becoming an SRtRC Patron, Naomi completed a 6-week SRtRC ambassador course with UNISON to better understand the organisation’s educational approach. Her enthusiasm and determination for anti-racism are inspiring, and having someone like Naomi as an advisor on Football Skills will strengthen the book’s core message.
At Show Racism the Red Card, we believe in empowering young people both on and off the pitch. This football skills book is not only a fantastic resource for developing talent and building confidence, but it also promotes inclusion, teamwork, and respect – values that are essential in sport and in life. The clear tips and fun drills will help to improve footwork, confidence, and control on the field. We’re proud to support a book that helps young players grow in ability while fostering a positive and welcoming environment for all.
Be sure to grab your copy here!
We have been fortunate to maintain a longstanding partnership with Usborne Books over the past five years. Together, we’ve had fantastic opportunities to co-create anti-racism books, helping us spread key messages to younger generations.
Our collaboration with Usborne began shortly after the death of George Floyd, when they reached out following the Black Lives Matter protests with an interest in publishing a book about racism for young children. This led to us running educational workshops – first for their writing staff, and eventually training their entire 200+ team. Soon after, we began collaborating on some very popular books.
Our initial project, What Is Racism?, paved the way for us to advise on and equality-check some of their other titles (such as Football Skills), while continuing equality training across various departments. Usborne has also generously contributed books for us to distribute in schools and use as prizes in our School Competition.
Their commitment to young people’s education, along with the incredible team we’ve had the privilege of working with, makes this partnership both highly valuable and deeply rewarding – one we are truly proud to sustain.
Books We Have Worked On Over the Years
Our collaboration began with What Is Racism?, where we served in an advisory role. This book was highly successful – earning The Guardian’s Book of the Month, multiple awards, and a nomination for Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards.
Its sister book, Questions and Answers About Racism, was developed alongside it and was equally well received. We later contributed to Questions and Answers About Refugees, another primary-level title.
For older students, we worked on Sunshine Simpson Cooks Up a Storm, a secondary-school book featuring Shaka Hislop – who also appeared in animated form in Questions and Answers About Jobs by Usborne. Our involvement included a short section at the end highlighting SRtRC and our mission.
Beyond direct collaborations, we’ve consulted on equality-related content for various titles before publication, including:
- The Story of Slavery
- That’s Not My Mermaid
- How Is Law Made?
- 100 Facts About Music
- Ape’s Great Escape
- World Kitchen Celebrations
…and, most memorably, Sticker Dress Up Dollies: Winter Wonderland.
All titles are available at major bookstores, online retailers and supermarkets like Asda. Details about them and content can be found on Usborne’s website.
We are proud of our patron Naomi Bedeau, Katie Daynes and the team at Usborne Publishing for all their hard work they have contributed to bringing this book to life!
