On Monday 14th October, as part of the School’s Black History Month focus in the PSHE lessons, we welcomed Floyd Steadman OBE.
As one of the few black players in English club rugby, he played for Saracens between 1980 and 1990, captaining them for 4 seasons. Floyd is one of only 14 players to be inducted into the Saracens Hall of Fame. He also captained Middlesex County RFU, played for London Division, and was honoured to play for the Barbarians FC. He is a Vice President of both Saracens FC and Middlesex County RFU.
After retiring from rugby, he emerged as a talented and inspiring teacher and headmaster, having a positive impact on many, young lives. Over and over again, Floyd Steadman has prevailed against immense odds, prevailing not with anger, argument or hysterics, but with persistence, dignity and integrity.
Racial tensions arise in sport, as much as anywhere else. Floyd Steadman draws on his own extraordinary experiences, in rugby and education, and addresses the issues of conscious and unconscious bias, the strength of the human spirit, grace in adversity, the protected characteristics and hope for a brighter future for all.
Floyd shared an incredible life story, talking about the challenges he faced growing up, whilst playing elite rugby and in teaching – all because of the colour of his skin.