Charity Premieres GOAL!

KICK It Out, the organisation aimed at tackling racism in football, has joined forces with the great new football movie GOAL! to raise awareness of the issue of racism through sport. Premiership clubs across the country will be screening charity premieres of the movie which is anticipated to be one of the big screen hits of the season when it opens on 30 September.

The movie distributors, Buena Vista International (UK) and Kick It Out are delighted to announce that the stars of the movie will attend the Charity Premiere of Goal! in Liverpool on 21 September and that professional footballers from Everton will be invited alongside local celebrities.

GOAL! is directed by British born Danny Cannon and follows a young Mexican illegal immigrant in the USA (Kuno Becker) through his youthful dreams of being a professional footballer through to him signing to Newcastle United and encountering the new challenges of a life of fame and possible fortune in the Premiership. With an all star cast including Alessandro Nivola and Brit stars Anna Friel, Sean Pertwee, Kieran O’Brien and Stephen Dillane and with guest appearances from the most famous footballers in the world including French world cup winning captain Zinedine Zidane, former England captain Alan Shearer, current England captain David Beckham and Spanish captain Raul, GOAL! is already commanding column inches and TV air time.

“Danny Cannon’s Goal! Perfectly captures the glamour of the Premiership”
The Observer.

7 clubs from both the Scottish Premier League and the Premiership - will be inviting the public to screenings of GOAL! alongside high profile footballers from the clubs. The clubs involved are:- Rangers, Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City & Everton. Fans will have a chance to watch the film alongside their football idols, as tickets will be made available through competitions in the local media.

Kick It Out is football’s anti-racism campaign which works throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge racism and work for positive change. The campaign is supported and funded by the game’s governing bodies, including founding body the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the FA Premier League, the Football Foundation and The Football Association.

Robert Mitchell, MD at BVI UK is keen to lend his support:- “We are delighted to be working with the PFA and Kick it Out to help combat racism in football. GOAL! is an appropriate and entertaining film to promote this campaign and I believe that the football club screenings will raise awareness of this important issue.”

The screenplay is based on a story by Mike Jefferies and Adrian Butchart and was written by EMMY & BAFTA award winners Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais (The Commitments, Never Say Never Again, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Likely Lads, Porridge.)

GOAL! is produced by Mike Jefferies and Matt Barrelle of milkshakefilms. The film is distributed in the UK by Buena Vista International (UK).
www.goalthemovie.com.

Ethnic Minority Businesses contribute up to £2.4 million per annum to the region's economy

ETHNIC minority businesses in the Northwest contribute up to £2.4 million per annum in business profits to the region's economy and provide almost 103,400 jobs in the Northwest, it was revealed this week. These are the findings of a new report 'Wealth Bringers: Establishing the value of Assimilated Entrepreneurs in the Northwest of England', produced by Sustainability Northwest and commissioned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The report, which consulted with over 250 ethnic minority entrepreneurs who have established businesses in the Northwest, examined the contribution that ethnic minority businesses make to the region's wealth and social cohesion. It found that:-

• Ethnic minority businesses make up an estimated 6.3% of the Northwest's total number of companies but generate a higher proportion of business profits for the region, over 7%.

• A significant proportion of ethnic minority businesses turnover is spent across the wider business community in the Northwest, spending an estimated £3.1 million a year on suppliers.

The study also reveals that outside of economic activity, ethnic minority businesses contribute considerable amounts of time and money to charities and community groups, as well as working towards the enhancement of the region's cultural offering. The report was launched Tuesday 6 September at the Annual Ethnic Minority Business Conference organised by De Montfort University's Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) in association with the NWDA.

Steven Broomhead, NWDA Chief Executive, said:- "Maximising the contribution of the region's diverse and talented population to achieve economic and social inclusion is a key priority for the NWDA. This report not only recognises the crucial role that ethnic minority businesses play in the economic and social development of the Northwest, but it also highlights ethnic minority groups as key drivers of entrepreneurial activity in the region. It is therefore vital that we work to provide the services and support to enable these businesses to reach their full potential and encourage greater entrepreneurship amongst ethnic minority communities. The NWDA will continue to work with our partners to capitalise upon the significant contribution that these businesses make to the regional economy."

Erik Bichard, Chief Executive of Sustainability Northwest, said:- "Recognising, valuing and celebrating the diversity among us is one of the ingredients of a sustainable society. Sustainability Northwest has unequivocally proven that assimilated entrepreneurs deserve the region's support and praise, not only for their own achievements to the economy and society, but for the future success of us all."

Tariq Mahmood Arien arrived in the UK as a refugee from Uganda in 1981 and established his own business with his brother selling electrical goods, Arien Distribution Ltd, which they have built up into a £2 million annual turnover business. He commented on the report:- "I am pleased that ethnic minority businesses are being recognised for playing an important role in the region. We have worked very hard to make our business a success and I feel that my cultural background has really inspired me to achieve this success. I am also pleased that our business enables us to help create jobs for the local community and make contributions to charity."

The report calls for improved business support for ethnic minority entrepreneurs to include assistance in obtaining finance, improved networking and wider support across the region. It also recommends that organisations should be encouraged to include ethnic minority entrepreneurs in their supply chains, to fulfil both economic and corporate responsibility objectives.