大象传媒

Exactly a year ago the hockey player Darcy Bourne left her home in London to take part in the Black Lives Matter protests. Darcy who represents England at Under 21 level and studies at Duke University in North Carolina, had in her hand a placard that read "Why is ending racism a debate?" An image of her holding that simple message went viral. It was shared and viewed by tens of millions of people, and as it turns out completely changed her life.

We explore what it means to be English and the important role football plays in national identity after Gareth Southgate penned a heartfelt letter to England fans ahead of Euro 2020. That theme is also being explored in a play being performed for the first time next week. ENG-ER-LAND is written and performed by Hannah Kumari who used her experiences of being a young, female, mixed race football fan in the 1990's to explore what it means to be accepted.

The International Gay and Lesbian Football Association, IGLFA, have announced their World Cup in 2024 will take place in Argentina, and significantly it's being backed by the Argentine football association. For Gus Penaranda, President of the IGLFA, the decision has a personal connection, he tells us why.

Plus we preview the final of the women鈥檚 French Open and the European football championships.

Photo: A Minnesota Twins player wears an End Racism shirt during batting practice before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 3, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)