From Sheffield City Council news release: Black Lives Matter artwork by Sheffield artist Chris Houlton being presented to the Sheffield Home of Football archives collection .
'Shoulder to Shoulder' shows Sheffield United players 'taking a knee' at their game against Aston Villa on 17 June 2020, the first Premier League football match after a 100 day mid-season shutdown due to Covid-19.
In a display of solidarity, all Premier League teams replaced their shirt-names with 'Black Lives Matter’' Before the game began, Sheffield United forward David McGoldrick proposed 'taking a knee' to captain Billy Sharpe and they then spoke with Villa's goalkeeper Tom Heaton and the match officials.
Following a one-minute's silence for those who had died during the pandemic, all the players, officials and coaching staff knelt for 10 seconds to demonstrate their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. No spectators were allowed at the match but the players' message about social justice was seen and repeated around the world.
The artist was commissioned by Sheffield Home of Football trustees to produce the work based on a photograph taken at the match that day. It took many hours to produce the final drawing using only coloured biros and gel pens and is now framed and protected under specialist archive glass to allow it to stand the test of time as part of the Sheffield Home of Football collection. |