UCS pupil's poem adopted by Premier League club Fulham

The UCS Foundation is delighted to learn that a poem written by a Year 7 pupil is being used by a Premier League football club to promote diversity and equality.

Entry pupil Zachary has been training with Fulham FC for a couple of years and ‘Zach’s Poem: Fulham for all’, written to celebrate Black History Month, was so successful that it has been promoted by the club and published on the Fulham website here, with different sections read by players and staff.

Zachary joined the Senior School from the UCS Junior Branch in September, and his former Headmaster at Holly Hill, Lewis Hayward, said: “I was thrilled to hear how a poem written by one of last year’s JB leavers has been taken up by a football club as part of their campaign.”

As a Fulham academy player, Zachary took part in an educational trip to the Black Cultural Archives heritage centre on Windrush Square in Brixton. He and his peers were then tasked with expressing their vision of diversity through poetry, emphasising the importance of unity and inclusivity. The UCS pupil’s heartfelt words resonated deeply with those overseeing the project and his poem was selected as the winner.

UCS Assistant Head (Head of Lower School), Edward Roberts, was not surprised to learn of Zachary’s success, explaining: “Zach is a talented and hard-working pupil – both on the football field and in the classroom. We congratulate him whole-heartedly on his achievement. His poem is thoughtful, sensitive and inspiring. Zach also wrote a poem recently inspired by TS Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland’. Zach’s poem, ‘Do you know nothing’, has been included in the UCS Poetry Anthology and we look forward to hearing him read it at the UCS Poetry Evening.”

‘Zach’s Poem:
Fulham for all’

We live in a world full of diverse races,
We see different colours on different faces.
Each race reveals features that are distinct and unique,
From our hair, our eyes and even how we speak.
We live in a world where we are judged by our skin,
But what’s important to me is who you are from within.
Do you show respect to your elders and your peers?
Put an arm around a friend and wipe their tears.
We live in a world with different cultures and creed,
The beauty is respecting people’s beliefs and needs.
Whether they pray in a mosque, a church or a school,
Or they don’t pray at all, either way that’s all cool.
We live in a world full of diverse races,
We’re all different colours and have different faces.
Let’s open our hearts and appreciate what we see,
Let’s embrace our uniqueness and diversity.