Earl Barrett to lead Kick It Out mentoring project
Former England international Earl Barrett has joined Kick It Out to lead a mentoring project.
Earl, a Premier League runner-up and League Cup medallist with Aston Villa, also played for Manchester City and Everton. His new role will see him channel his experience from a 15-year career into a project working with under-represented communities in cities across the country.
“I’m excited about the challenge”, said Earl, whose role is part of a joint initiative with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
“I will be identifying inspiring individuals from a range of different communities who can help to mentor and inspire others to achievement, both at a grass roots and professional level.
“Part of the objective is to practically address issues of exclusion and discrimination, particularly in relation to current gaps in representation, such as the lack of black coaches, managers, women and disabled in administration and Asian players.”
Lord Herman Ouseley, Kick It Out chair, welcomed Earl to the team: “Using the game to bridge communities is a crucial part of our remit.
“Having someone of Earl’s calibre on board with the staff team is great news for the organisation, the communities he’ll be working with and the sport as a whole.
“He has played at the very highest level and will be able to share all of the know-how he has to help us move forward the issues we are working on.”
