I’m proud to represent the fans of the club I love - meet Jahmal Williams-Thomas | OneFootball

As Black History Month is celebrated across October, City Matters representative Jahmal Williams-Thomas reflects on his personal connection to the club, his role models and the importance of representation.

It was a proud moment when Jahmal was chosen to represent Black and Mixed Heritage fans and ensure they have a voice in all aspects of Club matters.

Manchester City has always meant a lot to Jahmal, who grew up in the shadows of Maine Road, and inherited his love of the club from his father and before him his grandfather.

“My grandad came over with the Windrush generation and as soon as he settled in Moss Side, he fell in love with the club. This then filtered down to my dad, and then me,” he said.

“Moss Side is everything to me. It made me the person I am today and it was where I spent my formative years.

“Despite the negative press it’s had over the years, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a vibrant melting pot of many different cultures - some who either became City fans due to family or simply fell in love with the club after experiencing matchday atmosphere which spread from Maine Road, all the way up Claremont Road to Princess Road, Wilmslow Road and beyond!

“My family still live there so I have a deep connection to the area and always will! Simply put, when City fans chant 'We are City, from Maine Road', the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.”

Football has always been more than just 22 players kicking the ball around a pitch, for most match-goers it’s a way of life, a ritual and most importantly a community.

And for Jahmal this rings true when he recalls his memories of matchdays in Moss Side.

“It was electric. Whether it was a Saturday afternoon or a midweek evening fixture, you felt it," he added.

“Claremont Road and the surrounding alleyways were full of City fans making their way to the stadium. You could smell the burger vans a mile off and hear the sound of kids - sometimes including myself - asking for a quid to mind cars, although 50p was always enough!

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“When not in the stadium, my dad used to be a car park attendant on the old Beehive pub which was one of the pre-match drinking holes, along with The Clarence on Wilmslow Road.”

Like many young boys growing up surrounded by football, Jahmal had many sporting heroes, but the real idol for him has always been his dad.

“A product of the Moss Side community, he’s known by everyone! And I am simply ‘Tony’s son’," he added.

“My all-time favourite player is Sergio Aguero, but before the glory years - players like Shaun Goater and Shaun Wright-Phillips were of course pivotal.

“Seeing them on the pitch was special for people in my community and the fact that they were fan favourites was even more special.”

But representation doesn’t stop at the touchline. After studying Journalism and Broadcasting at Salford University, Jahmal became a journalist at Granada Reports and he believes the media industry has become more inclusive.

“Major broadcasters like BBC, ITV and Sky are increasingly hiring more diverse on-screen talent, which breeds the 'see me, be me' mentality and encourages more people from diverse backgrounds to actually apply for the roles they may not have been applying for before.

“Another reason is because it’s easy for somebody to pick up a camera and do their own thing now - broadcasting on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. A lot of people doing this then transition to a position with a major broadcaster, making the landscape a lot more diverse.”

Jahmal has since become a representative for City Matters and was motivated to get involved following a rise in racist incidents across football and online.

He said: “A line that sticks with me in relation to England players being abused is ‘English when we’re winning, Black when we’re losing’.

“It angers me that this is even still a thing in today’s society - just when we thought it was getting better - it seems to be getting worse again, especially with the recent political and cultural shift in the country.

“I’m incredibly proud to be involved with City Matters - I’m proud to represent the fans of the club I love and am very proud to be a City fan full stop! I think we have a fantastic, loyal fanbase and to represent them means the world. So I am very proud to be an official Man City fan representative… or ambassador as my dad says.”

Black History Month is very important to Jahmal as it serves as time to mark the history that came before us, challenge it but also to honour it.

“Black History Month means a lot to me," he added. "It’s a celebration of the great things achieved by Black people, but the sad side is that it also serves as a reminder of how marginalised Black people can be and have been.”

Looking to the future he believes football has the global platform to not only display Black players and managers, but to celebrate them and most importantly see it last beyond one month.

“This provides the perfect opportunity to showcase Black players and managers and to truly celebrate them - on a worldwide scale.

“It should be done through the broadcasting of games but also social media platforms - the audience is absolutely massive! It’s definitely getting better, but has to be done all year round, not just October.

“I think teams and leagues have to be mindful of not just saying 'Black History Month is special' and that’s it. Although it is very important to have bespoke content throughout the month, content needs to be all year round, some specific to certain cultures and communities.

“The objectives are to remind the world, and celebrate the amazing achievements of Black people and also to reclaim the narrative of Black history.”