Clubs must be punished for failure to meet diversity requirements – Kick It Out

Kick It Out chief executive Tony Burnett says clubs must face the threat of sanctions if they fail to comply with diversity requirements (Steven Paston/PA)

Clubs must face sanctions if they fail to comply with diversity reporting requirements and workforce targets, Kick It Out’s chief executive has said.

Data released by the Football Association on Wednesday showed the 53 clubs signed up to the Football Leadership Diversity Code (FLDC) collectively failed to meet any of the eight hiring targets set last season.

The FA board has now approved the creation of a new rule which will make clubs publicly declare their workforce diversity data on age, sex, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation twice a year from 2024-25.

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The detail of the new rule will be worked out in consultation with the Premier League, the EFL, the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Championship but Kick, It Out chief Tony Burnett insists it must have teeth if it is going to prove effective.

“The club results for the Football Leadership Diversity Code are disappointing, but they are not wholly unexpected,” he said.

“In the process of setting up the code, we expressed concerns that if football wanted to drive change, it needed to be transparent about its whole workforce.

“Clubs were only willing to provide limited recruitment data and there were no sanctions for failing to comply.

“Now is the time to be bolder. The FA’s intention to make reporting of diversity data mandatory for all men’s and women’s clubs is a step in the right direction. We