Together for Football 2023 - 2025

TOGETHER FOR FOOTBALL

2023—2025

OUR EDI (EQUALITY DIVERSITY INCLUSION) MISSION AND AMBITION

The Football Foundation is the charity of the Premier League, The FA and Government. We deliver outstanding grassroots sports facilities, more and better locations to play, transforming lives and communities where it’s needed the most. This ensures everyone has a place to play regardless of gender, sexual orientation, cultural heritage, background, disability or place.

Currently the four priority audiences that we aim to reach through our funding are: women and girls, people with disabilities, lower socio-economic groups and people with diverse ethnic backgrounds and cultural heritages.

Our ambition is to embed EDI principles at the heart of what we do to bring about meaningful change to the way we operate. In doing so, we’re determined to be an inclusive and diverse organisation that understands and makes a positive impact to the communities we serve.

To help lead this change we’ve committed to ensuring that all facilities we fund provide equal access to women and girls. We continue to work hard to support our funding applicants and beneficiaries to co-design facilities and programmes together with diverse groups of people from their local communities.

I’m proud to be a leader and EDI advocate within the Football Foundation and to be the EDI representative on the Board. And I’m glad to see our commitments and intentions firmly outlined within this strategy. There’s still so much we need to do to make everyone feel welcome and safe, and feel a sense of belonging on the pitch and side-lines; in clubhouses, sports halls, terraces, and within our own workforce.

Listening and learning from others, as well as challenging our own approaches and assumptions within and outside the Foundation will be essential in ensuring we progress in this area of work. The issues we face are complex and some of the barriers are long established. Our approach needs to be agile enough to adapt and react to changes within society. Of course, we believe in fair play, but this goes beyond fairness, the benefits to diversity and inclusion are widely proven- not only is it the right thing to do it’s also going to help us achieve better outcomes.

To achieve our goals, we must move forward as a united team, together for football.

Karen Taylor Independent Board Member

We’re living at a time of heightened awareness of the inequalities that exist within our society, with this comes an opportunity to commit to change and use our influence to ensure we’re playing our part in tackling inequality.

That’s why our aim is to invest in and develop facilities which feel safe, welcoming, and inclusive; facilities that attract diverse communities and promote a sense of belonging. It’s also why I’m proud to lead the Football Foundation and proud of all the work we do to support and sustain grassroots sport.

This isn’t the beginning of our work on Diversity and Inclusion, we have strong foundations from which to build on, this strategy is designed to take us further, to improve our processes, remove the barriers that still exist and change the game for everyone.

Robert Sullivan CEO

“

The purpose of the Football Foundation is to transform lives and communities across England by providing people with great places to play. Sport has a unique opportunity to bring people together, to unite and inspire us.

OUR FOUR CORNERS

Our Four Corners are the values we uphold as a Foundation. They describe how we go about our work, how we treat each other and how our teammates and all those who interact with the Foundation can expect to be treated. EDI is implicit throughout each one of our corners and by living up to them, we’re demonstrating our commitment to EDI.

WE ARE STAR PERFORMERS

We unlock the power of pitches. We transform lives and strengthen communities. Whatever position we play in, we always strive for excellence.

WE ARE A UNITED TEAM

We support each other and work together to deliver the greatest impact wherever it’s needed the most. Nothing brings people together like sport, and teamwork is at the heart of what we do.

WE ARE PASSIONATE SUPPORTERS

We support the game in any way we can. We make sure applicants access funding as easily as possible. We work with partners to deliver outstanding football facilities. We transform lives and communities on behalf of our Funding Partners.

WE ARE FAIR PLAYERS

Being inclusive and understanding diversity allows us to tackle inequalities through everything we do. We play fair regardless of gender, race, ability or place, from the star performers we recruit, to the way we work; from the facilities we fund, to the people who play on them.

Equality + Equity

Removing barriers and helping people to have equal access opportunities.

Equality – is about making every effort to eliminate any form of discrimination, creating equal opportunities, and developing good working relationships between different people.

Equity – Doesn’t mean treating everyone the same, it’s about minimising the barriers that individuals face. Creating opportunities for people to participate in different ways and creating an equal playing field, so that individual’s outcomes have the potential to be the same.

Diversity

The mix of who we are.

We see diversity, in its broadest sense, as a huge strength. With a diverse mix of people, with different thoughts, ideas, and perspectives, we know we’ll be able to problem solve and make better and more creative decisions.

The Equality Act 2010, references nine protected characteristics (age, disability, trans or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender or sex and sexual orientation). Differences can be visible and non-visible. Diversity is all these things and more. By adopting a broader approach, we can consider socio-economic backgrounds, caring responsibilities, menopause, neurodiversity, and the diversity of our thinking and working styles.

Diversity gives us the mix of people within and interacting with the Foundation.

Inclusion

How we ensure everyone can contribute, in the way that they feel comfortable.

We all know what it feels like when we’re not included. To feel left out, left behind or to not have our needs or views considered doesn’t feel good. And when we feel like that we don’t perform at our best.

Establishing a culture of inclusion means that everyone’s voice and perspective matters. It’s about feeling seen. Ensuring people feel like they can be themselves and that they feel like a valued part of the team.

The themes and activities in this plan are just the start, intended to help us to progress towards our goal of becoming an organisation that clearly demonstrates its commitment to inclusion, sees diversity as a strength, and further understands and reflects the diverse communities we support. To achieve a change in culture will take time and we’ll need to be reactive to change, including changes to the law, language preferences and societal attitudes.

We’re continually monitoring our progress against our Key Performance Indicators and report transparently, to our Teammates and our Board of Trustees. Our annual data report will be published on our website and we’ll communicate our story and progress throughout on an ongoing basis as part of our marketing and communications strategy.

Our work on EDI will always continue. As society changes, we’ll listen and learn, we’ll adapt, challenge and evolve.

Together for Football introduces a series of themes and activities to support us in working together to drive our EDI ambitions and ensure that EDI is fully embedded in all that we do.

The Inclusion Maturity Model Embedded

Inclusion and diversity is seen as a major asset, truly embedded into all areas and considered in decision making. All employees see an inclusive culture as being beneficial and as their responsibility to maintain. Both employees and organisations reap the benefit.

Integrated

Inclusion and diversity is seen as a priority business matter. The culture shows clear signs of change. The lived experience for the majority of employees is positive and the actions of leaders and line managers match the corporate message of commitment.

Through selfassessment, the Foundation currently sees its position as progressing from inconsistent to established; our aim is to progress through this maturity model and imbed inclusion into everything we do and every decision we make.

Established

Business case established with support from leadership and champions within the organisation. Processes, systems and policies are in place, a programme of initiatives is designed which results in measurable progress but not all areas of the organisation are implementing established policies / processes effectively.

Inconsistent

Ad hoc programmes and initiatives, often strand* specific and unconnected.

Tick box

Compliance with the law.

Avoidance

No recognition of the need for inclusion and diversion activity.

*Strand specific – this relates to strands of diversity, often the nine protected characteristics of the Equality Act.

Teammates

The goal of this plan is for every individual and team across the Foundation to clearly see how they personally can make a change, develop a greater understanding of EDI, and bring a more inclusive approach. We’re ambitious when it comes to EDI and continued progress relies on commitment from the whole team. There are already excellent examples of individuals and teams considering EDI in ways that ensure that it’s embedded in the way we work.

Funding Partners

We know that EDI is as important to our Funding Partners as it is to us, and we recognise we have a shared vision. Together we’ve developed innovative programmes and initiatives, and we continue to impact diverse communities, bringing more opportunities for more people to participate in sport and enjoy the wealth of benefits it brings. Our unique position means that we can share best practice and ideas across our partnership, developing initiatives alongside multiple partner organisations, creating the best opportunities for the best outcomes.

Applicants and beneficiaries

Community engagement and coproduction is key to the success and sustainability of our investments. We’ll work with and support our applicants to develop a deep understanding of the needs of their local community. This involves researching, designing, and delivering plans and activities together. We build strong relationships with our beneficiaries and continue to support them long after we have provided them with funding.

Leadership

Our Senior Management Team, Panels and Boards have a responsibility to lead by example, setting high standards by role modelling the values and behaviours set out in our four corners. Our leaders help to break down barriers and drive this agenda forward, bringing about the change we want to see.

Teammates

Funding Partners Leadership Applicants and Beneficiaries

For us to succeed in our mission, it’s going to take the whole team to play their part.

KEY PLAYERS

Our EDI Advisory Group

Our Culture Champions

A Culture Champion is someone who believes in, helps develop, and champions the culture of their organisation. They play an important role in helping implement and sustain cultural change, and in finding ways to bring that culture to life. Here’s some things that sum up Culture Champions and the part they play within our organisation:

▶ They have their fingers on the pulse to highlight and help fix any issues that may be impacting the wider team to help drive engagement levels.

▶ They’re a trusted voice who can represent what’s happening and how team members are feeling.

▶ They help with two-way communication –they can cascade and share updates across teams, as well as share feedback to the group or to management on current issues.

▶ They role model the changes or actions needed to show their commitment to the culture change programme.

Members of our EDI Advisory Group act as critical friends within the Foundation providing a ‘check and challenge’ function. They’re tasked with looking at new proposals, policies and procedures through an EDI lens, this is to ensure that when the Foundation makes decisions, they’ve been considered from different perspectives minimising the risk of adverse effects on any group or community. They also look for opportunities and suggest new ideas and initiatives to make our work more inclusive.

The EDI Advisory Group members:

▶ Are individuals from a range of backgrounds who collectively bring diversity of thought, expertise and experience.

▶ Advise on specific items that arise and check and challenge projects or initiatives from an inclusion perspective.

▶ Help to monitor progress against the actions set out within this strategy.

▶ Participate in and lead EDI related initiatives and events.

▶ Demonstrate a strong commitment and genuine desire to make a difference to inclusion and diversity.

The Foundation has two teammate-lead groups, which are made up of a cross-section of the organisation, every department and team is represented.

What will good look like?

EDI is often referred to as ‘a journey’, if this is the case then we recognise that it’s not a linear one. We see inclusion as our goal, there are multiple ways to get closer to it but not necessarily one direct path. This plan acts as more of a compass or game plan than a map, keeping us on track and helping us navigate towards our goal.

Here we’ve set out some of our key milestones.

More opportunities

The pitches and facilities we invest in become more accessible and inclusive. We reach a diverse range of communities and offer more opportunities for people to enjoy sport.

Our four corners

Our four corners work has clearly articulated the values and behaviours we’ll uphold. We’ve set ourselves clear targets and developed some effective initiatives that we consider to be examples of best practice.

Our experience

The experience of our teammates and their perception of the Foundation is positive.

Our guidance

Our guidance and support to our applicants is considered best practice.

Our process

Take responsibility

Teammates take responsibility and recognise the value and importance of EDI. All teammates have EDI training and any additional role specific training to ensure everyone has the tools they need.

The Foundation’s diversity increases and we make progress towards our targets

Our processes and systems are reviewed and improved to ensure they work for everyone and help us monitor progress.

2ND HALF—ACTION PLAN

Our

1. People

We aim to ensure all of our people feel valued, included and part of a united team. We believe that by having a diverse workforce we’ll make better decisions and be more representative of the communities we serve. We depend on our colleagues to live our values and to deliver our mission.

4. Profile

By telling our stories we aim to increase understanding about the ways in which sport can positively impact communities. By sharing our message, we can change perceptions and welcome new participants and audiences to football and other team sports. Through this we aim to tackle inequalities and promote fair play.

Unlocking the power of pitches to transform lives and communities

3. Pitches

2. Performance

We strive to be star performers, to ensure the best outcomes for our Funding Partners, grant applicants and the communities we support. This section of the strategy sets out how we will improve our policies and processes to deliver these outcomes inclusively.

We understand the power of the pitch, investing in facilities people can be proud to play at is what we do. We’re passionate supporters of the game and we’ll use our expertise to work with and engage applicants and communities across England to increase access for everyone. We’ll explore different facility types and develop targeted programmes because we know that one size doesn’t fit all.

activities will be themed into the following pillars of work.

Under each pillar our teammates have identified and committed to a set of actions, which we believe will have significant impact.

PEOPLE

People

We do our best to ensure all our people feel valued and included. We believe that by having a diverse workforce we’ll make better decisions and be more representative of the communities we support. We depend on our colleagues to live our values and to deliver our mission.

We do our best to ensure all our people feel valued and included. We believe that by having a diverse workforce we’ll make better decisions and be more representative of the communities we serve. We depend on our colleagues to live our values and to deliver our mission.

Action Measures & Outcomes

Training and learning

Develop an organisation-wide EDI training programme, mandatory for all teammates. Explore other role specific EDI learning and training opportunities where appropriate for individual teams. EDI training will become a requirement of our Performance Development Reviews (PDR).

Ensure EDI topics are firmly and consistently on our agenda. Our Squad Meet Ups (our all-team get-togethers) are an opportunity to discuss and explore EDI related topics and content, ensuring our messages and progress reach every teammate.

Provide tools and learning opportunities for our applicants, programme participants and beneficiaries of funding.

Improve our recruitment practices

Carry out a full review of our recruitment processes and our employer brand, including the careers page, advertising, profiles on external websites. Implement the recommendations from the review.

Empower our Culture Champions and EDI Advisory Group

Develop and refresh our employee groups so that they are empowered and equipped to advocate for EDI and act as critical friends to the Foundation, a sounding board to discuss proposals and offer recommendations and solutions.

Implement targets across the organisation

Our first task is to fully understand the make-up of the Foundation and current position in terms of its diversity. Then we must work with our funding partners to align targets on EDI. Finally, we commit to report on progress annually.

Access the effectiveness of each programme through feedback, surveys and whether each training or learning opportunity has met its specific objectives, ultimately via behaviour and culture change. Awareness of EDI topics is raised, teammates understand its importance and utilise the knowledge gained as part of their roles.

We use our position to help our applicants, programme participants and beneficiaries increase their understanding, and support them to gain skills and knowledge to deliver better outcomes.

Diversity increases, within the application pipeline and in terms of hires. Our policies and practices are considered ‘best practice’ by expert external organisations. And Teammates report a greater understanding of inclusive recruitment.

Decision making is affected by the discussions and ideas raised by the groups.

Targets are designed to help us further understand our position. Our ultimate aim is to be as representative as possible of the communities we aim to support and engage.

Action Measures & Outcomes

Develop an internal mentoring programme

This new programme will focus on developing teammates and sharing knowledge and experience. Teammates will learn new skills and be exposed to new areas of the Foundation, deepening relationships across the Foundation.

Refresh our EDI policies and consider all Foundation policies in relation to EDI

We know that EDI best practice is constantly evolving, we need to ensure we’re agile enough to respond and to remove barriers wherever they appear. Ensuring our policies use inclusive language and are equitable for all teammates.

Mentoring takes place informally across the Foundation. By creating a formal scheme, we’ll open this opportunity up to all teammates. We’ll review the feedback from the scheme and aim to support both mentees and mentors to achieve their agreed goals.

Reviewing our policies regularly ensures we keep up with best practice and that we’re living up to our commitment to being an inclusive employer.

Teammates will have up to date guidance on EDI, what they can expect from the Foundation and what the Foundation expects from them.

Capture and share best practice on community engagement

Knowledge about community engagement is shared, utilised and fully embedded across all programmes. We’ll equip teammates across different teams with increased knowledge on this subject, which will be linked to the position that they play in the team.

Develop partnerships with external EDI experts and organisations

Review different accreditations, to benchmark, learn, improve and inform our thinking and further understand our positioning as an organisation.

Develop a line manager charter

Line managers play a key role in ensuring teammates feel valued and that they can be themselves. A line manager charter will provide a quick reference guide to how to line manage inclusively.

Incorporate EDI content at Squad Meet Ups

As an organisation which has a proportion of remote teammates it is important that EDI is firmly on the agenda when teammates come together. This is an opportunity to build knowledge, confidence and understanding around EDI related topics.

Applicant feedback that our support and guidance documents on community engagement are helpful. We share a series of case studies which will help to tell our story.

By gaining external recognition we can further improve our internal processes and establish our brand as an inclusive employer.

Regular surveys indicate strong relationships between teammates and their line managers and a sense of inclusion and belonging within the Foundation.

Teammates report a greater understanding of EDI, feedback is monitored, and sessions are developed in accordance to teammate’s requirements. As a result, we’re more confident as an organisation to support applicants to gain better outcomes in terms of community engagement and our culture develops for the better.

We strive to perform to the peak of our abilities ensuring the best outcomes for our funding partners, grant applicants and the communities we support. This section of the strategy sets out how we’ll improve our policies and processes to deliver these outcomes inclusively.

We strive to perform to the peak of our abilities ensuring the best outcomes for our funding partners, grant applicants and the communities we support. This section of the strategy sets out how we’ll improve our policies and processes to deliver these outcomes inclusively.

PERFORMANCE 2 Performance

Action Measures and Outcomes

Develop guidance resources for applicants/consultants and beneficiaries

Improve consultant and applicant knowledge on EDI related topics and community engagement through guidance and support.

Applicants and beneficiaries have guidance and support, to increase and improve and continue community engagement.

Local Football Facilities Plans (LFFP) template reviewed

We commit to reviewing our LFFP template and other assets annually to ensure that the context provided is an accurate and full picture of each local authority and that EDI and community engagement considerations are embedded within the template.

Research our impact

If we can build greater understanding around which investments have had a positive impact on tackling inequalities and benefitting diverse communities, then we can start to improve and share our approach. Annual research is carried out to measure the impact of our investment. This will be reviewed to understand if the approach to community engagement is proportionate or needs refinement.

Develop formalised research with a University in collaboration with partners, to benefit and broaden our understanding of our impact.

EDI is further embedded into our project identification phase from the start of the process.

A widening of our understanding of the impact of facilities investment and programmes on users, i.e., behavioural change, health benefits, community cohesion. Through this work we hope to further support and challenge beneficiaries we have funded to ensure that when facilities are operational, they live up to their EDI commitments.

PERFORMANCE Performance

Action Measures and Outcomes

Data insight and development

By responding to what our research tells us, we’ll improve the data we collect to inform the allocation of funding, linked to need and seldom heard groups and users. Undertake a review of our current data, exploring a comparison between our intended EDI outcomes vs actual outcomes and targeted site-based project evaluation. Explore better and more efficient ways to collate and analyse data.

Develop an EDI evaluation framework

A small sample-based evaluation framework will be developed to access the impact of Foundation facilities and programmes, which can inform best practice. Topics such as disability, culturally diverse communities, health inequalities in sport will be considered. Undertake small sample of targeted insights across capital and revenue programmes.

Embed tackling inequalities measures into our performance Framework. Begin to benchmark and monitor progress on our EDI/Tackling Inequalities Measures. And define clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and methodologies.

New Programmes Development

Develop an EDI framework for new programmes to ensure that they align to the Foundations EDI Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) This includes the application process development, programme criteria and assessment.

Improve our understanding of recreational football and community lead football programmes, including multi-sport and small sided provision. Identify the trends, patterns of engagement and need. Share best practice from this work explore how it fits into core Foundation funds.

Develop our procurement process

Embed EDI into our procurement process, assessing the selection of partner organisation and suppliers with significant contract value. Collating and accessing EDI documentation and information we receive from the procurement process or our existing suppliers.

Challenge and review anecdotal and assumption-based inclusion and community impact of investment, to develop granular understanding across all user groups and facility types evaluate actual investment impact.

EDI outcomes are further aligned to our Grant Management Systems and frameworks, throughout our end-to-end funding process (from application to completion and including our work with facilities who we have previously funded). Develop best practice framework and learning. Improving internal expertise on impact of Football Foundation’s programmes and wider outcomes focused on tackling inequalities and understanding behaviour change.

Credible and measurable baseline and benchmarking data for our Tackling Inequalities KPIs and EDI related targets established. Improve the ways in which seldom heard communities/groups can be targeted and engaged in our Football Foundation investment strategy.

This action will help is ensure that EDI is built into new programme design and development from the very start. Increase the ways seldom heard groups can be targeted and engaged in Football Foundation investment strategy.

This action will help us ensure that we‘re working with suppliers who share our values; practice and promote EDI in the same way that we do. This will reduce risk of discrimination.

Action Measures and Outcomes

Build strong mutually beneficial relationships with partner organisations and the banks we partner with to ensure these align with our own EDI strategy and work with them to improve our own knowledge and processes.

Project development and assessment

● Update Our Project Assessment Matrix. Include detailed inclusivity questions based on measurable outcomes and tackling inequalities performance framework.

● Identify specific points throughout the end-to-end process. In which to scrutinise EDI and tackling Inequality parameters.

● Review Terms and Conditions of grant awards to stipulate clear EDI and governance related requirements and targets, throughout the lifetime of a project. Update project selection process to include targeted project-based EDI and tackling inequalities outputs and outcomes.

Our post award review process

Our post award review process makes sure that applicants and facilities are meeting their grant award objectives and bringing about measurable change. The process will be developed to ensure that EDI is at the heart of this process.

Our partner organisations and banks we work with and invest with have commendable reputations as inclusive companies, by building these relationships we aim to share best practice and grow our knowledge about what other organisations are doing in this space.

Improve the application process to input EDI targets clearly in all process, through Grant Management Systems.

Applicants support improved and awareness of EDI outcomes increased. Our T&Cs are updated and clearly defined to reflect EDI and Governance requirements included as part of the award offer letter.

Greater assurance that EDI objectives are sustained through the life cycle of our grants. Provide an objective review of EDI parameters, outputs, and outcomes to improve by supporting our recipients post award.

PITCHES

Pitches

We understand the power of the pitch. Investing in facilities people can be proud to play at is what we do, and we’ll use our expertise to work with and engage communities across the UK to increase access for everyone. We’ll explore different facility types because we know that one size doesn’t fit all.

We understand the power of the pitch. Investing in facilities people can be proud to play at is what we do, and we’ll use our expertise to work with and engage communities across the UK to increase access for everyone. We’ll explore different facility types because we know that one size doesn't fit all.

Action Measures & Outcomes

Support grantees to understand inclusivity outcomes of facility-based investment.

Ensure occupational structures at facilities are inclusive.

Co-design principles firmly included within local community and users’ engagement.

Ensuring safety, accessibility, and an inclusive environment for all.

Develop engagement with user groups and potential applicants. To further understand barriers to funding and participation.

Engage a diverse range of communities and seldom heard groups in the application process. Understand the current data and insight on applicant type.

Review the impact of the PlayZones Programme

Identify and lessons from the programme (e.g., smart access, consortium led approach) and if the target audiences access the facility.

Review Sport England's tackling inequalities impact from the multi-sport pitch capital programme. Identify any lessons that could be built into our Grass pitch programme. Ensure our volunteer groundskeepers plan has inclusivity objectives included within it.

Work with and support the National Football Trust (NFT) and Leisure United (LU) to further align our approach to embedding EDI within hubs programme. Align LU and NFT to Code for Sport Governance and EDI principles. Ensure on site teammates, users and any local steering groups reflect the communities the Hubs serve. Ensure Hubs EOI phase and site selections embrace community engagement from the outset.

More understanding of inclusivity outcomes of facility-based investment. Occupational structures at facilities are more inclusive as a result.

Our applicants feel supported and advised on how best to engage local communities. Applicants use the tools we have developed to learn the current best practice methods on how to conduct community engagement sessions.

EDI considerations to be inbuilt into facility design, location, and accessibility. Barriers to funding and participation identified, information is used to inform the digital strategy.

Gained a better understanding of applicants and the barriers underrepresented groups face.

Programme impact reviewed and lessons learned feedback into our application processes. Better understanding of recreational and small sided football outcomes.

Research findings reviewed and recommendations developed, our groundskeeping plan has objectives designed to increase inclusivity.

On site teammates, users and any local steering groups are more reflective of the communities the Hubs serve. EDI action plan developed and implemented by the NFT Board and LU.

By telling our stories we aim to help everyone understand how we’re positively impacting communities. We aim to share our message with as many people as possible so that we can change perceptions and welcome new participants and audiences to football and other team sports.

By telling our stories we aim to help everyone understand how we’re positively impacting communities. We aim to share our message with as many people as possible so that we can change perceptions and welcome new participants and audiences to football and other team sports.

Action Measures and Outcomes

Identify gaps in applicant engagement

Create a digital strategy to target seldom heard groups and under-represented areas, aiming to increase website engagement and applications.

Share updates and progress on our EDI journey

Produce case studies and content achievements from the EDI action plan externally. This will promote diversity and opportunities.

Improve engagement with events and campaigns

Covering a wide range of EDI related topics, to raise awareness and ensure there are opportunities for team mates to engage internally as well as the external engagement.

Focus on developing the charity element of our brand Compliance with Charity Commission and wider third sector recommendations on EDI.

Review content partnerships

Work with our content partners to ensure our communications are inclusive accessible and reflect the diverse communities we support.

Develop and Refresh the ‘Supporter programme’ to represent users and the wider work of the Football Foundation. Include facility managers, groundskeepers, and coaches.

Promote our applicant/scheme guidance documents widely

Seek to understand what other guidance could be useful to applicants.

Review the website from an EDI perspective

Ensure the website is accessible and user-friendly as possible.

Create an EDI Glossary of terms

This will be a quick reference guide for teammates to look up various terms related to EDI, to enable teammates to be confident in their use of language and terminology.

Increased engagement, website visits and applications from seldom heard groups and under-represented groups and areas.

Increased engagement, website visits and applications from seldom heard groups and under-represented areas.

Widens our definition of diversity, ensuring a greater level of understanding of current EDI issues, demonstrates our commitment to EDI.

Ensuring we’re compliant will help us to set and maintain high standards for the Foundation. Support our recruitment objectives to achieve a more diverse organisation.

By working with content partners and suppliers who share our values and understand how to communicate our messages in accessible and inclusive ways, will improve our content, improve its impact and reduces reputational risk.

Supporters can help us to promote our messages to diverse communities. Agree EDI matrix to ensure Supporter strategy addresses all areas.

We want our assets to be utilised by a broad audience with community engagement improved and tackling inequalities work promoted and broaden understanding.

Website considered more accessible, easy to navigate and more effective at promoting our EDI messages.

Teammates use the guide, and the Foundation develops a more consistent approach to language.

FOOTBALL FOUNDATION TEAM DIVERSITY DATA

Our data focuses on five of the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act: age, race (referred to Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), disability (referred to disability/ long term health conditions), sex (referred to gender) and sexual orientation. The Foundation recognises that particularly in terms of ethnicity and cultural heritage, that there is breadth of cultural differences within the grouping *People from Black, Asian, and other Ethnic Minorities. This grouping is only used to report data, when developing initiatives, or working with communities, each group is considered separately to ensure appropriate and effective results.

*Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures

All diversity data is correct as of October 2022.

We collect diversity data to assess the make-up of our workforce, assisting us to identify any barriers which groups may face, this helps us to develop a greater understanding and to implement solutions.

FOOTBALL FOUNDATION TEAM DIVERSITY

DATA Age

AGE

TERM HEALTH CONDITION

DISABILITY / LONG

We’re wholly committed to improving our diversity. We firmly believe that organisations with diverse workforces are more likely to perform highly in terms of resilience, creativity, and productivity. We want to be accountable, so we’ll report our progress annually and with full transparency.

Disability / Long-term health condition

Do you have a disability (as described under the Equality Act 2010 definition)?

Ethnicity

The Foundation recognises that particularly in terms of ethnicity and cultural heritage, that there is breadth of cultural differences within the grouping.

*This category includes people from Asian, Asian British, Black, Black British, Caribbean, African, Mixed, or multiple ethnic backgrounds or people from any other ethnic groups

Please note: Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures

ETHNICITY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

Do you have a disability (as described under the Equality Act 2010 definition)?

5% 95% No Yes

6%

White94%

PeoplefromBlack, Asian,Mixedandother Ethnicbackgrounds*

FOOTBALL FOUNDATION TEAM DIVERSITY

DATA

Please note: Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures

THE FOUNDATION VALUES AND PROMOTES DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT, KNOWLEDGE,

The following data sets come from both the Football Foundation Annual Squad Survey Results 26/04/22 and Pulse Survey results from November 2022

The Foundation values and promotes diversity of thought, knowledge, skills and lived experience

I

ANNUAL SURVEY AND PULSE SURVEY RESULTS

THERE IS A POSITIVE CULTURE AT THE FOUNDATION

There is a positive culture at the Foundation

The following data sets come from both the Football Foundation Annual Squad Survey Results 26/04/22 and Pulse Survey results from November 2022

THE MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP TEAMS DEMONSTRATE THAT EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IS IMPORTANT THROUGH THEIR ACTIONS AND BEHAVIOURS

The Management and Leadership teams demonstrate that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is important through their actions and behaviours

Tackling inequality, promoting inclusivity and engaging seldom heard groups is central to the Foundation’s mission statement aims, objectives and processes

TACKLING INEQUALITY, PROMOTING INCLUSIVITY, AND ENGAGING SELDOM HEARD GROUPS IS CENTRAL TO THE FOUNDATION’S, MISSION STATEMENT AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND PROCESSES

I feel like I can be myself at the Foundation

I FEEL LIKE I CAN BE MYSELF AT THE FOUNDATION

For more information, please email: hr@footballfoundation.org.uk