York City have been awarded a grant to help fight bigotry as part of a national anti-racism in football campaign.

The £700 grant, one of just 30 up for grabs, marks a significant development for City and should help to lift a lingering shadow cast over the club and its supporters.

City gained unwelcome notoriety in the 1990s as the only club in the country that refused to sign up to the Kick Racism Out of Football charter.

Now under the ownership of the Supporters' Trust, the club has pledged to take a more proactive stance on the issue of prejudice in football with a string of initiatives planned for next month's national anti-racism week.

City director Sophie McGill said: "This really marks a break from the past and the club's previous negative stance regarding the issue of racism in football.

"Our supporters and players have had to live with the stigma of being the only club in the League not to have signed up to the Kick Racism Out of Football charter for too long.

"We are now a true community football club that encourages and welcomes all sections of society.

"Racism and exclusion of any form should not be tolerated and our aim, with the help of this grant, is to implement a pro-active anti-racism policy at the club."

The National Anti-Racism Week of Action, organised by the Kick It Out campaign, will involve all 92 professional clubs as well as schools and community groups.

The week will celebrate the contribution made to football by black, Asian and other ethnic minorities across the country while challenging racism within the game.

In order to receive the grant, one of just 30 made available by the Football Foundation, City had to submit a detailed application outlining their plans for the anti-racism week.

City's campaign will see the club launch an anti-racism poster competition in conjunction with primary schools across the City.

The top 20 entries will be asked to be ball boys at City's two home games during the anti-racism week, against Boston on October 18 and Oxford on October 21.

Their posters will be displayed around the ground and reproduced in the match-day programme.

The club also intends to erect a York City History of Black Footballers display in the club's Family Room at Bootham Crescent, highlighting the important role black players have played in the club's history.

Throughout the week, supporters will be encouraged to sign up to the Supporters' Trust's anti-racism pledge with the club also producing, with the support of the City of York Council, its own anti-racism leaflet to be distributed at the two home games.

Despite widespread supporter condemnation, former chairman Douglas Craig defended the club's decision not to sign up to the Kick Racism Out of Football charter in the 1990s.

He insisted the campaign was flawed, pointing out some clubs joined but then did nothing to fight prejudice.

Craig maintained the Minstermen acted on incidents of racism as and when they occurred at Bootham Crescent.

Later on during his chairmanship, an anti-racism message adorned at least one advertising hoarding at Bootham Crescent and was also printed in the match programme.

Anti-racism announcements were also made via the club's public address system on match days.

Updated: 11:11 Tuesday, September 09, 2003