Manchester City and Lemn Sissay mark Black History Month with film

Manchester City have released a new short film, ‘The Stadium Speaks’, written and narrated by poet Lemn Sissay OBE to mark Black History Month.

The film is built around a poem that spotlights the influential black figures who have shaped the club’s history, from its time at Maine Road to the Etihad Stadium. It features contributions from former players including the club’s first black player Stan Horne, Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Shaun Goater.

Commissioned as part of the club’s wider Black History Month celebrations, the film also includes current players, staff, academy members, and supporters.

Lemn Sissay, said, “Manchester felt like home to me, the moment I stepped foot across the boundary. I came here very early on, when I think I was 13, I came to see Manchester City play. The first time I came to this city was to see City. I want the poem to be owned by the person who’s in the stand watching the game. And I wanted the poem to be to be owned by the person on the pitch who’s playing it. And I want them to feel proud reading it.”