Ethan Akanni’s Club

“Bexley AC has been an integral part of my life for many reasons. It is where my love for hurdles and athletics started. I met so many amazing people who have helped and supported me since the day I met them (my first coach Liz Slater is a perfect example). I have always felt comfortable being surrounded by these kind, funny and
caring people. I first joined the club way back in September 2012 when I was 13 years old and I haven’t looked back since!! Orange started to run through my veins.

Bexley have not only supported my athletics career, but they have also supported me in my personal life. I publicly came out as gay in a Sky Sports news article in April of 2020. Around the same time, the Athletics Pride Network (APN) had launched. After seeing my story and the work I had done with the APN since the launch, members of my club reached out saying how proud they were of me for sharing my story and making a difference. One member in particular (namely John Gates) messaged me asking to have a call where he was eager to see if there was anything the club could do to create a more inclusive space at the club. After a great conversation, I had seen that my club added a welfare and diversity page where they not only talked about the goals and aspirations of the APN, but they described my role as a core / founding member of the APN and attached links to the website! This seems like a small thing to just the average person but if I had seen this 8 and a half years ago when I first joined, it would have helped me realise instantly that this was the club for me.”