Lincoln City FC Sport & Education Trust would like to pay its own tribute to the life and work of Keith Alexander, who, along with his legendary ‘Play-Off' achievements with the Imps, also became a pioneer for black footballers and a leading figurehead for Kick It Out - football's equality and inclusion campaign - when he became the first ever black manager in the Football League.

Throughout our work in schools and the community, we are fully committed to the FA's Kick It Out campaign and take an active role in the One Game One Community programme every year.

Keith Alexander played a leading role in the FA's national campaign and in 2008 he was honoured at the first ever Black List Awards, which recognise England's African-Caribbean achievements across all levels of football, in recognition of his work.

Piara Powar, director for Kick It Out, said: "Keith's passing is a tragedy for English football. He was a pioneering figure, whose talent spoke for itself, an unstinting supporter of equality in the game, and most importantly a role model for aspiring coaches and managers, whatever their racial background, everywhere."

You can read more tributes to the life and work of Keith Alexander on the Kick It Out website www.kickitout.org and for more about our Kick It Out work contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it