The Dragon on My Shirt - Nominated for Royal Television Society Cymru Awards 2024.

The Dragon On My Shirt nominated for Royal Television Society Cymru Awards is documentary series for Red Wall+, exploring Black and Asian heritage footballers who have represented Wales, and the work being done to make football in Wales more inclusive.

Led by writer, presenter, and Executive Producer Darren Chetty, and directed by ESM's Vicky Morton, The Dragon on My Shirt tells the stories of different men and women from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds who have represented Wales through the decades.

The series starts with Eddie Parris, the first black man to play football for Wales in 1931, before meeting George Berry the first black man in the post-war era. Further episodes feature Robert Earnshaw, Neil Taylor, former women’s international Wendy Reilly, and current international Safia Middleton-Patel, as well as a look at what the Football Association of Wales is doing to promote equality and diversity from grassroots to international level.

At EatSleep Media we want to tell stories that matter. That have an impact. And addressing social issues is a big part of what we do. We were awarded a grant by the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racism Wales Fund to make a series of programmes using football as a vehicle to explore race, society and culture in Wales.

Darren Chetty has emerged as a leading voice around identity and race in Wales, and is a passionate football fan, so was the perfect choice to collaborate with on this project. Over the last 8 months, ESM have worked with Darren to develop the idea and apply for funding from the Welsh Government, and have then worked through pre-production, production, and post to deliver this series almost completely in-house.

Vicky Morton has led a team that has combined the skills of ESM's team, including Head of Creative Luc Daley & editor Luke Andrews. ESM have also provided opportunities for young BAME creators; videographer Zaid Djerdi joined ESM after us seeing his work for Cardiff Bay Warriors and their UK Somali Champions League win in 2023, and was joined by Cardiff Met graduate Prad Patel.

Both worked across shoots on this project and another ESM work for valuable experience. Saad Mohamed joined the team during production for paid work experience. As part of this project, Darren Chetty has also developed a series of questions around each episode that schools, clubs, or organisations can use to have conversations around race and identity. Those questions are part of the promotional content that can be found here.

The Dragon on My Shirt is now streaming exclusively on Red Wall+, the FAW’s video platform that goes beyond football, celebrating the rich cultural tapestry of Wales and its deep connection to the sport.

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