FA announces three-year equality, diversity and inclusion strategy

THE Football Association (FA) has published its new three-year equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which will run until 2024.

It will form an integral part of the governing body’s long-term commitment to use its influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.

A Game For All will outline three key strategic commitments – Lead the Change, Be the Change, and Inspire the Change, which will ensure tackling discrimination that remains a core priority for English football.

The FA’s commitment to 'Lead the Change' will see it continue to actively tackle discrimination on and off the pitch through delivering effective sanctioning and education, furthering efforts to tackle online abuse, creating safe venues, and building trust in reporting mechanisms and disciplinary processes for incidents of discrimination.

Marcus Rashford mural covered with messages of support after it was defaced in Withington, Manchester. (Reuters/Ed Sykes)

'Be the Change' will focus on building a diverse workforce through education, development and inclusive leadership. While setting targets to increase diversity across its workforce, the organisation will also prioritise improving disability representation and increasing the ethnic diversity of the England women’s coaching team.

'Inspire the Change' will see The FA use its influence to positively impact every aspect of the game, including delivering core diversity programmes for historically under-represented communities across the areas of gender, ethnicity, disability, faith and sexual orientation.

Edleen John, The FA’s director of International Relations, Corporate Affairs and co-Partner for EDI, said: "Tackling discrimination is not a new priority for The FA and we’ve made great strides in this area in recent years. It’s core to our thinking as an organisation and we remain truly committed to using our influence to create a game free from discrimination."