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Kick it out

Queens Park Rangers Football Club will pledge its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion this weekend, by backing Kick It Out's 'One Game, One Community' initiative.

Saturday's fixture against Nottingham Forest is our designated 'Kick It Out' match, as part of a 12-day, nationwide celebration of diversity.

The special matchday will be one of 1000 events taking place across the country during the 'Kick It Out' week of action. All 92 professional Clubs, as well as Conference and Non-League Clubs, will also hold activities to support the initiative, alongside schools, universities and community and youth centres.

'Kick It Out' - the game's equality and inclusion campaign - is coordinating the initiative as part of football's ongoing contribution to promote greater inclusion.

Lord Herman Ouseley, Chairman of 'Kick It Out,' commented:

"The 'One Game, One Community' weeks of action provides a focal point for everyone connected to football - from supporters to players - to stand up against discrimination in all its forms.

"The game flourishes when people from all communities, and from all walks of life, are able to participate in it. Club activity like this reinforces the 'One Game, One Community' ethos and is a vital part of the drive for equality at all levels of the game."

To demonstrate its support of the 'One Game, One Community' message the Club will undergo the following activities on Saturday.

• Players from both sides will wear T-shirts during the pre-match warm-up.
• Messages from Martin Rowlands and Mikele Leigertwood will appear in the Hoops matchday programme, as well as on our Giant Screen.
• The Club will display the 'Kick It Out' banner and flag prior to kick-off.
• Iain Dowie and Colin Calderwood and their respective backroom staff members will wear 'Kick It Out' badges in the build up to kick-off, as well as in post-match interviews.
• All in-house staff will wear badges throughout the day.

QPR Sporting Director, Gianni Paladini, pledged his support to the initiative, commenting:

"Queens Park Rangers are fully committed to ensuring that we are doing everything in our powers to ensure communities of all races, cultures and religions feel welcome at Loftus Road.

"This is an initiative we feel very strongly about and will continue to support."

QPR's midfielder Mikele Leigertwood, who is the Club's nominated Ambassador for the period of action, commented:

"This is an issue of great concern in football and in the real world at large.We need to keep working away on this issue until it is totally eradicated from our game.

"It has improved significantly in the last 20 years or so, but there are still one or two mindless people who continue to persist with racism, whether it be in football or in life in general. As a member of the QPR First Team, I speak on behalf of the entire squad when I say we are one hundred per-cent behind this scheme."