Troy Deeney: who is Birmingham City FC player, why was he in prison, and who is girlfriend Alisha Hosannah?

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Former Watford and Walsall strikerTroy Deeney, features in Channel 4 documentary Where’s My History?

This February, Birmingham City striker Troy Deeney launched a campaign to change the school curriculum so that it includea teaching of black and minority ethnic (BAME) history.

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Deeney has children who are now at school and he believes that the current curriculum in England is failing students from minority backgrounds like his own childnren.

The 60-minute Channel 4 documentary, Troy Deeney Where’s My History, follows Deeney as he campaigns for real change in the education system.

Troy Deeney has launched a campaign to put black history in the school curriculumTroy Deeney has launched a campaign to put black history in the school curriculum
Troy Deeney has launched a campaign to put black history in the school curriculum | Channel 4

Who is Troy Deeney?

Troy Deeney, 33, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker, currently serving as captain of championship club Birmingham City.

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He began his professional career at Walsall, putting in 123 appearances between 2006-2010.

He joined Watford in 2010 and made 389 appearances, scoring 131 goals before leaving the club for Birmingham City in 2021.

When captain of Watford in 2019, Deeney received racist messages on Instagram following his team’s extra time defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Last year, Deeney revealed that he receives 30-40 abusive messages online every week.

In 2020, Deeney was a leading part of the movement in English football for players to take the knee before matches in a statement of solidarity against racial injustice.

Deeney has been campaigning to change school curriculums so that they include the teaching on BAME history.

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Deeney left school at 16 without any GCSEs but since 2012 he has gained GCSEs in maths, science, and English.

The footballer has a son and daughter with his ex-wife Stacy, and another son and daughter with his current partner, model and entrepreneur Alisha Hosannah.

Who is Troy Deeney’s girlfriend?

In 2018, Deeney reportedly left his wife, Stacey, who he had married in 201 for model Alisha Hosannah.

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Hosannah works as a graphic designer and during the pandemic, she launched a children’s clothing brand, Baboosh.

Did Troy Deeney go to prison?

In 201, Deeney was sentenced to 10 months in prison for affray after he attacked a group of students outside a nightclub.

A 30 second video showed Deeney and his friend, Brenna, kicking the students, one of whom received repeated blows to the head.

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Deeney was released after serving three months of his sentence - he said that he father’s death from cancer a month before the incident had been a factor in his behaviour. He was at his father’s funeral three days before going to prison.

Deeney said that one of the good things to come out of his time in prison was taking part in an alcohol course and seeing a counsellor.

Troy Deeney takes a knee before a Watford versus Norwich City match in 2020Troy Deeney takes a knee before a Watford versus Norwich City match in 2020
Troy Deeney takes a knee before a Watford versus Norwich City match in 2020 | 2020 Pool

What is Where’s My History about?

The one off documentary will follow Deeney as he pushes for BAME histories to be included on the curriculum in UK schools.

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In the documentary, Troy will meet people with different points of view on the curriculum debate and discuss his own struggles when he was at school.

Deeney will speak to celebrities including boxer Anthony Joshua, musician and comedian Big Narstie, and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi in his attempts to get to the bottom of the national curriculum’s whitewashing.

He will learn about what British children are taught in the classroom and which periods of history are usually left out.

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Is BAME history on the school curriculum in the UK?

In England, the teaching of black history is optional and as a result the vast majority of GCSE modules do not cover it.

It is estimated that fewer than 10 percent of UK schools teach black history, and a similar proportion of students learn about the British Empire.

Peter Mandler, a historian at Cambridge University, referred to the British view of history as ‘Hitlers and Henrys’ because of the focus on the Second World War and Tudor period.

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Last year the Welsh government made changes to the curriculum, which will take effect from September 2022, making the teaching of BAME history mandatory, but the same has not happened in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Troy Deeney: Where’s My History will air at 10pm on Channel 4 on 23 May.

It will also be available to watch on All 4 shortly after it is first broadcast.

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