Ben ‘disappointed’ as only a third of EFL support code
BURTON Albion chairman Ben Robinson says he is “surprised and disappointed” that only 27 of the 72 Football League sides have pledged their support for the Football Association’s Leadership Diversity Code.
The code, launched in October, is aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion throughout English football.
It immediately attracted the support of 40 clubs across the Premier League, English Football League, Barclays FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship.
Nineteen of the 20 Premier League clubs pledged their commitment but Southampton chose not to sign up initially because they had just achieved the Premier League’s Advanced Equality Standard and they continue to consider how the FA’s code will complement this work.
However, the take-up rate in the EFL has been much slower with only 27 sides – 38 per cent – committing to the code, which includes 14 in the Championship, nine in League One and only four in League Two.
The Brewers were one of the first clubs to support the code.
“I am surprised and disappointed that only around a third of clubs in the EFL have signed up to this agreement when every club in the Premier League, except Southampton, have signed,” Robinson told the Daily Mail.
“I hope that sooner rather than later more clubs will see the project for what it really is about, which is a concerted attempt for people to be
given better opportunities to further their career.”
The diversity code, which has been driven by the chair of the FA’s inclusion advisory board, Paul Elliott, presents a tangible way for clubs to take action on equality.
The clubs who have signed are tasked with meeting the following targets:
■That 15 per cent of new hires into senior leadership and team operations roles will be Black, Asian or of Mixed-Heritage (or a target set by the club based on local demographics) and that 30 per cent of new hires will be female.
■That 25 per cent of new coaching arrivals at men’s professional clubs will be Black, Asian or of MixedHeritage, while 10 per cent of new senior coaching hires will be Black,
Asian or of Mixed-Heritage.
■At women’s professional clubs, at least 50 per cent of new hires will be female and 15 per cent of new hires will be Black, Asian or of MixedHeritage.
Clubs will also be asked to implement specific recruitment practices including ensuring shortlists for interviews will have at least one male and one female Black, Asian or of Mixed-Heritage candidate, if applicants meeting the job specifications apply.
It is thought that some clubs may have been put off signing up to the code because they fear they may not be in a position to meet all the criteria.
In addition, many are struggling with the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.