Anton Ferdinand
Anton is an English former footballer who most recently played for St Mirren as a centre back. A product of the West Ham United Academy, with over 138 appearances for West Ham. He also played for Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland, Bursaspor, Antalyaspor and Reading, plus playing for England at under-21 level. Ferdinand retired from professional football in July 2019. Ferdinand is the brother of former footballer Rio Ferdinand, cousin of Les Ferdinand and Kane Ferdinand, a midfielder for Maidenhead United - so football is rooted deep in his family.
Anton Ferdinand
Anton enjoyed a playing career at sides including West Ham United, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers and now works as an Ambassador and Mentor providing invaluable advice and insight to young players, supporting them in their careers as professional footballers. He additionally makes regular media appearances for broadcasters including IMG, Sky Sports, BT Sport and Talksport. In November 2020, Anton released his own BBC One Documentary, Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me, discussing the issue of racism within football and the impact that an on-field incident with John Terry, in 2011, had upon his career. Anton has recently been involved in discussions with organisations including, the FA, the PFA, the Premier League and Kick it Out about how to create a lasting change within football, as well as working with social media companies and the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport to combat online abuse. Anton has been invited to speak by companies including Visa, BT, the NHS and Green Park to name a few on issues surrounding racism, diversity and equality, including a number of events for Race Equality Week. In addition, he featured in BT Sport’s Draw the Line Campaign, to raise awareness of the issue of online hate and advocate for change. He has recently completed an Effective Board Members course and hopes to use his expertise to improve inclusion and diversity at the top level. Anton is an Ambassador for blood cancer charity DKMS as well as The RACE Equality Code, a framework developed from over 200 recommendations, charters, and pledges, designed to set standards and accountability for organisations to achieve diversity and inclusion.