UNITED AGAINST RACISM The SSA and Saracens are of course committed to tackling the issues of racial inequality prejudice and underrepresentation within society and specifically within the rugby community. We have all seen in the press both sports and mainstream the way players coaches and staff have come together on this matter and the SSA wanted to reiterate our support for the cause. We want to continue to celebrate our diverse and multicultural family whilst providing a platform to speak openly and honestly about what change we want to see. We do not want to be silent or stagnant on this matter. We abhor any form of discrimination and indeed through the Saracens Sport Foundation we have a rich history of tackling social injustice and inequality through the power of sport. But we know we can do more to ensure we are seeing greater representation on and off the field within our game. From the owner, the board, the senior management, the staff and players at Saracens we stand united. Black lives matter. We have a great chance to send a powerful message and educate people more on what this really means. No one disputes that all lives matter, but we must accept that racial discrimination still exists and we must work towards a position where all lives are considered of equal value in society. We must not ignore the past three months and we will not sit on the fence when we have an opportunity to change perceptions. Racism isn’t just easily identifiable prejudice. It can be unwitting, unconscious and for those who don’t come up against it, one might never know it’s there, but we must not be blind to it. We are a family who support each other and respect each other’s beliefs. Saracens will stand firmly against racism and social injustice and will visually demonstrate this commitment ahead of our first match against Bristol Bears in the restarted 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership campaign. However, we will judge our success not on the wearing of a t-shirt but on the longer term impact we have as a club on tackling this societal issue. AS SARACENS, WE STAND UNITED AGAINST RACISM. SSA Newsletter - Sept 2020 This week we were able to talk to Andy Christie and Phil Morrow about the steps the club will be taking over the weeks and months. As ever Saracens are determined to lead the way. Andy penned this poem which some of you may have seen. The most powerful gang in the world There is a gang in this world They wear black and blue They say they’ll serve and protect Each one of you They killed George Floyd, They knelt on his neck He was executed that day With no remorse or respect They shot Christopher Mitchell As he sat in his car Begging and pleading And agreeing to do what they asked. Breanna Taylor - murdered On March the 13th They broke into her home And shot her 8 times at least Ahmaud Arbery Wasn’t killed by the gang But was hunted by two racists Driving in their white van And what happened to the killers? They were protected by the gang For as long as they could They kept the film out our hands There are many more cases And each day this list grows But I don’t have the time To make sure each is exposed But we can all do more Because justice is necessary Because too many black brothers and sisters Are out there being buried The gang is the lawmen And not all of them are bad But what these victims have in common, Is they are all black. We say ALL lives matter But nothing has changed So the movement continues Until black and white are the same. SSA Newsletter - Sept 2020 Rugby is back! BRISTOL BEARS 16-12 SARACENS A penalty try four minutes from time saw the Bears snatch a dramatic victory over Saracens, as the Gallagher Premiership returned to a rain-soaked Ashton Gate for the first time since March. Alex Goode’s fourth penalty of the afternoon - cancelling out three from the boot of Callum Sheedy - had edged the visitors in front in the final quarter, after Luke Morahan saw his sensational long-range effort ruled out for obstruction. But after Sheedy found a huge touch from a penalty on halfway, the Bears rumbled their way towards the whitewash, with Siale Piutau convinced he had scored. The TMO replays showed the Tongan centre in touch, but referee Carley spotted Jamie George’s cynical side entry and headed under the posts, with the England hooker shown a yellow card. A tense finale followed as Saracens hammered away at the Bears’ line in search of the winning score – and despite Max Lahiff joining George in the sin bin, Pat Lam’s men held on to record a sixth successive league win. SARACENS 38- 24 HARLEQUINS Saracens grabbed the Derby day bragging rights with a bonus point victory against Harlequins at Allianz park Sean Maitland scampered over in the early exchanges, and Maro Itoje and Aled Davies both crossed before half-time. Two penalties from Owen Farrell lengthened Sarries’ advantage before American Paul Lasike powered home for the visitors. Replacement scrum-half Scott Steele snuck in for a third away score and Lasike’s second try brought Quins within seven point with five minutes left However, it was too little too late and hope was diminished when Itoje’s knowledge of the laws saw him gather a deflected Sarries clearance and put Lewington on an easy sprint to put the result to bed, a move which ended any hopes of a comeback. LONDON IRISH 12 – 40 SARACENS An experienced Saracens side proved too strong for a youthful London Irish outfit at Twickenham Stoop. Two scores from hooker Jamie George sandwiched four other first-half tries with Brad Barritt and Billy Vunipola crossing for Sarries and Augustin Creevy and Matt Williams for Irish. The Men in Black completed a shutout of the hosts for the entire second 40 and Richard Barrington crossed twice to ensure a comprehensive victory. Irish’s temporary home hasn’t been the friendliest of venues for Saracens over the years, but the Wolfpack got off to a flyer on 10 minutes and never really looked back. A bonus point win which, had the initial 35 point sanction stood, would have left us just a point behind Leicester Tigers. Not bad with 5 rounds left to go. SSA Newsletter - Sept 2020 PotM is also back! The return to action means we can also resume our PotM poll we started some 11 months ago! Just to remind you all, we run our poll on survey monkey each month. With 5 players we feel have distinguished themselves over the month. The poll runs for a week and the winner is announced via our social media. Their prize is a donation of £50.00 to the charity of their choice. And of course dressing room bragging rights, for a few weeks at least. Nominations for August are listed below. To vote simply copy the link below www.surveymonkey.com/r/QGB2H8N And so is the Fezcast! We hope you all enjoyed episode 1 of the Fezcast. We have been really pleased that over 340 of you took the time to listen to Don’t mention the salary cap on mixcloud. Episode 2 is now live, Box Kicking toilet rolls in lockdown features Eloise Hayward in a 2 part interview where she talks all things lockdown, Juggling study travel and training, dealing with online trolls and misogyny as well as her work with mental health charity Looseheadz. The next edition will feature a special guest slot after the cameo from Harley while Steve was chatting ‘Dogs & Rugby@ has a ring to it! Get in touch with the show via email at [email protected] www.mixcloud.com/FezcastSSA/ SSA Newsletter - Sept 2020 Saracens Sport Foundation News On Friday 28th August 2020 the team walked and ran a massive 220 miles, that equates to 885 laps of the Allianz Park athletics track to raise funds for our disABILITY hub sports clubs which are now at risk due to lack of future funding. The 20 for 20 Challenge was initially designed to engage our disABILITY participants who are feeling the impact of this lockdown, reporting a rise in feelings of isolation and a reduction in physical and mental wellbeing, and bring them back together to work towards a collective goal. However, the challenge has now encouraged not just participants but volunteers, staff and our wider community to get involved. Over the past month we’ve enjoyed sharing some stories from our participants and volunteers, their journey with the foundation and their progress with the challenge. We are now proud to announce that, so far, the 20 for 20 Challenge has raised £5,000 towards securing the future these disability sports clubs. To put our Disability Hub into context each year we deliver projects to over 500-plus young people and adults with disabilities with over 150 disabled people attending our weekly sports clubs. The Hub also provides vital respite for parents and carers. Just £100 could fund our parent respite area for a week, so everything raised will make a real difference for these programmes. If you wish to make a donation to the Saracens Sport Foundations 20 for 20 team challenge please click this link: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/FoundationFamilyChallenge For more information on our disABILITY hub clubs or to find how you can support the Foundation’s work, please email our Inclusion Development Manager, Charlie at [email protected] SSA Newsletter - Sept 2020 Saracens Touch Rugby As the #saracensfamily rugby community starts to re-build our sport during the Covid-19 crisis, the Saracens Touch Rugby squad are greatly enjoying being back at training.