West Ham United will be backing the 2009/10 One Game One Community week of action organised by Kick It Out as part of the continuing fight against racism and prejudice.
This year's campaign is due to take place between 15-17 October 2009. The club has provisionally earmarked the home match with Arsenal on Saturday 24 October as the focal point of our initiatives.
With the other 91 professional clubs in England and Wales taking part, the weeks have a strong community focus and play a role in celebrating diversity and inclusion across all other areas of the game.
Grassroots clubs, schools, community groups and fans join the professional game in coming together in symbolic activities and initiatives, which resulted in over 1,000 events taking place last year.
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole played a significant part in leading the club's efforts in the 2008/09 season. He said: "If you can get positive words and messages out to people on a regular basis, then it may go a long way to making racial abuse of any kind a thing of the past.
"We need people working together, communicating and pulling in the same direction, like we try to do as a team on the pitch. The aim is to get the message across that any form of prejudice is not accepted in football."
Kick It Out is looking for West Ham United fans to take part this October and there are many ways that you could get involved in this year's weeks of action; you could host an event, run a competition or arrange a football tournament. Kick It Out may also be able to help with part funding your event through the One Game One Community Development Grants.
Kick It Out offers a wide range of resources to support activities taking place, including T-shirts, sweatbands, key rings and badges as well as flags and banners which will help to link your event with football's most established equality and inclusion campaign.
Visit kickitout.org to view the full range of resources and to find out more about the One Game One Community Development Grants.