Equality Standard launch

Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion campaign, is launching the new Equality Standard, a guide for professional clubs developing equality policies and practices across all areas of their operation.

Kick It Out will launch the Standard at Bafta in London on 26 March with a presentation evening featuring speakers Richard Scudamore, ex-Manchester City chairman David Bernstein and novelist and comedian David Baddiel.

The framework document will help football clubs recognise and cultivate opportunities existing within their local community. This includes the attraction of new fans, the recruitment of players and the employment of the clubs administration.

A third of all professional clubs have begun working on the three attainment levels and the framework has been supported fully by the game’s governing bodies.

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "Clubs can have an extremely positive influence on their fans as well as in the communities around them so it’s important that they show how they embrace diversity and are open and accessible to everyone.

"The new Equality Standard will allow Clubs to demonstrate the high standards that they have achieved in eradicating discrimination of any kind."

Kick It Out Chair, Lord Herman Ouseley, said: "A welter of opportunities lie on a club’s doorstep, from new supporters to potential employees. This framework will help clubs across every division understand how best to embrace this. Crucially it’s designed so ‘buy-in’ comes from boardroom level, which means good practice is filtered down to those who make the club function on a day to day basis."

The Equality Standard works on three levels of achievement; Preliminary, Intermediate and Advanced. It encompasses all six areas of diversity - race, religion age, gender, sexual orientation and disability - and will ensure groups and individuals are given the same progression opportunities in either the playing or the administration of the game.

Kick It Out has a designated Development Officer in post to support clubs in this work and help them collate a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate that they have met the requirements laid out in the Standard.