English Football League launches new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy

As part of Bdaily’s latest feature week, The Business of Sport, we look to the English Football League (EFL), which has launched its new Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy ‘Together’

This new initiative aims to make the League and its Clubs more “reflective and representative” of the communities in which they serve.

Providing a framework for the EDI work of the EFL and its 72 Clubs for the next five years, the headline objectives of the strategy are:

• Ensure the workforce is representative and reflective of the communities its Clubs represent
• Improve the diversity of supporters attending EFL matches
• Continue to “challenge discrimination” and behaviour both in stands and across social media
• Establish a path for continual EDI development for Clubs
• Improve the understanding of EDI across the game.

Working collaboratively is a key theme of the Together strategy and several of the partners that will help delivery over the next five years were present at a launch event at Charlton Athletic.

Said partners included the likes of Kick it Out, the Professional Footballers Association, Women in Football, Level Playing Field, Pride Sports, Fans For Diversity and Club representatives from Blackburn Rovers, Bradford City and Charlton Athletic.

Speaking, David McArdle, the EFL’s head of equality, diversity and inclusion, commented: “Today we launch the EFL’s Together strategy which will provide the League and its 72 Clubs a pathway for the next five years, to help make the EFL reflective of the diverse communities that they represent across England and Wales.

“While football has made strides, it continues to face challenges that are reflected across society and with over 20 million attending EFL matches each season and millions more watching around the world, the League will use its platform to challenge unwelcome behaviours and promote inclusive practices, to help drive change on the pitch, in Club offices, in the stands and within the communities which Clubs call home.

“Our aim is to provide everyone the same opportunity to succeed across the EFL, but we cannot do it alone, so we look forward to working collaboratively with Clubs and equality partners to improve our game, together”.

Together branding appears on the sleeve badges of all EFL shirts in the opening weekends of the season and will do so for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign.

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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