Sissay: The first time I came to Manchester was to see City! | OneFootball

Lemn Sissay OBE says he was proud to be asked to write a special poem for Manchester City celebrating Black History Month.

The award-winning and internationally acclaimed poet grew up in children’s homes close to Manchester before making the city he loves his home.

And Lemn recalled coming to our old home at Maine Road to watch a match when he was a boy – the first time he ever came to the city.

It was a memorable moment for the author who also spent seven years as the Chancellor of Manchester University.

City asked Lemn to write a poem for Black History Month, celebrating the influential Black figures who have helped shape Manchester City.

The Stadium Speaks was released on Tuesday with Lemn, players, staff and fans reading the work which pays tribute to the many people that have had such an impact, now and in our history.

WATCH: The Stadium Speaks - a poem by Lemn Sissay

“I felt proud,” he said in a chat with former City player Nedum Onuoha. “I wanted to do a good job, it was a challenge when I was asked to write this poem for Manchester City.

“It was and is an honour. It’s a request which will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“I wanted verses from it that were able to stand alone, as if any of the verses could be sung by the fans.

“I don’t think all the verses can but some I think yes. I don’t expect them to, but I wanted to write it as if they could.

“I want the poem to be owned by the person who’s in the stand watching the game. And I wanted the poem to be to be owned by the person on the pitch who’s playing it. And want them to feel proud reading it.”

Born in 1967, Lemn’s early footballing memories include seeing Dennis Tueart scoring his famous winner for City in the 1976 League Cup final win over Newcastle United and swapping football cards.

He can also remember his first visit to Maine Road as a 13-year-old, when he came with a close friend called Peter Libby, who remains an inspiration to him to this day.

“My generation is Dennis Tueart and his very famous scissor kick,” he said. “It takes me back and to collecting football cards as a kid and swapping them at school.

“And the Kippax. We went with the head of the children’s home, his name was Mr Harding. And now I look back to those times which were quite difficult, I realise that football did something really profound to me as a kid.

“He was a City fan and he took us kids to see Man City to see our first football game. It was the first time I came to Manchester and it was the first time I saw a football match and we didn’t have those moments when I was a kid.

“That was because of his love of the game but it introduced us to the outside world. And the thing that stays in mind most of all, never mind the game, which is a beautiful thing at the heart of community, but as you walk in the winter, up those steps and the whole pitch opens up to you.

“And the lights because you’ve all been in tunnels and turnstiles and the noise because you’ve never heard that many people before as a kid. It was just incredibly powerful. It was the community of football and the moment of coming into the stadium and that excitement of seeing the football pitch and the match and everything that went around it.

“Peter Libby was at the children’s home and is a City season ticket holder to this day. He’s the person I respect the most. People say who are you are heroes. It’s a Manchester City season ticket holder football fan from Leigh who was brought up in children’s homes like me.”

The poem is a celebration of diversity and City’s journey from Moss Side to our current home and the many Black figures that have made such a contribution.

Lemn believes that football has always shown the effectiveness of equality and that the game is truly for everyone.

“The football fan is from all shades, all colours, all genders, all types of personality and there is an equality actually happening in practise,” he said.

“Never mind mentioning equality, it’s happening in practise. In the stands, were equal in our love of the game. It’s a team game anti-racism, equality, fairness.

“One of the beautiful things about sport, and football in particular, is that all the players are doing different things – individuals within their own right.

“If it was a cookie cutter sort of game, you could get players from anywhere, but it’s not the case. Every game is unique, every player is unique and every touch of the ball is unique.

“The thing that binds them together is an equality and a shared goal. So I think the subjects of anti-racism, anti-sexism and equality are wrapped up in the nature of the game.

“So I was very proud to be asked to write a poem for Black History Month but I was also aware that I want everyone to enjoy it because we’re all part of this story just as the team is with football.”

As a club, Manchester City do not tolerate racism and encourage fans to challenge and report discrimination of any kind.

Any fans who see or hear abusive behaviour at the Etihad Stadium can report it by texting 07700151894 to make our security team aware of what they have witnessed.

Feedback can be shared anonymously by texting your block, row, seat number and a short description of the incident to the number.  Fans can also report incidents by talking to a steward or the police at the stadium.

Meanwhile, fans can report online discriminatory abuse they see targeted at Premier League players, managers, coaches, match officials and their families directly at www.premierleague.com/reportracism.