Progress is clearly being made but we know that there remain some deep-rooted issues and that many incidents go unreported, or they are being brushed off as just ‘banter’ – for me, one of the most destructive words in sport and indeed society.
This must be called out and stopped.
Some people rightly challenge the progress on the back of TRARIIS – but a key lesson learned from this work has been the need to co-create solutions with communities and we therefore very much value the ongoing close collaboration with the TRARIIS stakeholder group.
Through a process of engagement with our funded partners we’ve also gained a better understanding of the difficulties in collating data, so we are now providing more practical support and extra funding and addressing the barriers to representation of athletes, staff, volunteers and supporters.
But we aren’t just looking at how the organisations that we fund are performing in this area, we’re making sure we have our own house in order too, and we’re embedding race-equality best practice in our new operating model, ensuring an anti-racist lens is applied to all our investment.
Our own Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan is being used to measure internal progress on equality targets and commitments and it sets out key actions for improving representation for all protected characteristics.
Following recent appointments, 40% of the Sport England board members are from culturally diverse communities.
And while we still have work to do to get to the representation we seek, in the past three years 18% of our staff recruited are from culturally diverse communities – including in our Executive and Senior Leadership Teams.
To continue our work, we hope to hold a joint symposium later this year which will build on the ‘Mind the Gap’ conference hosted last year, and also serve to mark two years since the publication of TRARIIS – our next progress report will also be published in the summer.
Sporting Equals
Nearly two years ago, together with UK Sport, we announced changes to strengthen the Code for Sports Governance.
Central to these changes was ensuring bodies in receipt of substantial public funding, from either organisation, must have a detailed and ambitious Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
In addition to this, we know that many national governing bodies, and others, have been signing up to the Sporting Equals charter as part of this work on diversity and inclusion.
This charter, which has recently been refreshed, can be a valuable tool and framework to support NGBs and other sports bodies to achieve fairer representation on the playing field, as well as in the boardroom.
It is an example of where organisations like Sporting Equals can make a difference.
As is this conference – convening the conversation, bringing together experience and expertise and most of all shining a spotlight on the change still needed.
I hope that for as long as I am chief executive of Sport England, we remain visibly committed to understanding the challenges faced and using all the levers at our disposal to effect change.
We will not get everything right. Nor will we satisfy everyone’s personal belief in the change they want to see.
We do not regulate – rather we seek to use our resources and our position to positively influence lasting, systemic change.
So, I need always still to listen and learn. To hear the voices of those who feel that sport and activity is not yet for them.
Because whatever the activity, wherever it is in the country, it should feel safe, welcoming, inclusive and fun.
Until that time, there is work still to be done.
