Equality Inspires

Kick It Out works jointly with the Premier League to deliver Equality and Inclusion training for clubs’ academy players, staff and parents.

These workshops aim to raise awareness on current issues including discrimination, underrepresentation and stereotypes within the game.

Each workshop is delivered by Kick It Out and consists of discussing topics such as racism, homophobia, sexism, faith, disability, social media and the impact of acceptable/unacceptable banter in a changing room environment. All workshops are interactive and are led by the participants’ engagement.

The parents’ workshops are based on the support and advice they give to their young son on their journeys, as well as the impact of negative behaviour and the effect it can have on performance.

  • Equality Inspires Award

    In August 2016, Kick It Out and Premier League announced the launch of the Equality Inspires Award, which is presented to Premier League clubs who successfully complete the required number workshops with their Academy sides throughout the relevant age categories, as well as with parents and club staff.

    Clubs have a two-year timeframe to complete these workshops and gain the award, whilst any club that undertook workshops throughout the 2015/16 season are able to include these as eligibility toward gaining the Equality Inspires Award.

    Watford

    On Monday 1 May, Watford were the first club presented with an Equality Inspires award in appreciation of their outstanding work as part of the Equality Inspires programme.

    The award was presented by former Hornet and Equality Inspires tutor Marcus Gayle before their Premier League clash with Liverpool at Vicarage Road, to recognise the Academy’s impressive record in embracing and arranging equality and diversity training for all its players as well as staff and players’ parents and guardians.

    Troy Townsend, Education Manager at Kick It Out, said: “The club has embraced the concept of Equality Inspires and over the last two seasons, by ensuring that those connected to their Academy structure have received the appropriate training to support their understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion within their working environment.”

    Read more here.

    Liverpool

    Liverpool FC were presented with a trophy on Monday 15 May in recognition for their continuing excellence as part of the Equality Inspires Academy programme.

    On behalf of Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion organisation, Troy Townsend and Marcus Gayle visited the club to acknowledge their commitment to equality and diversity training and to deliver the final sessions of the season.

    On receiving the award, Liverpool’s Academy Director Alex Inglethorpe said: “Kick It Out have really challenged our thinking with the workshops that they have hosted throughout the season and it is a real privilege for the Club to work alongside them on such a regular basis.

    “It is a great honour for Kick It Out to present Liverpool Football Club with this award and I am looking forward to continuing our fantastic partnership with Kick It Out for years to come.”

    Read more here.

  • Academy Awareness Weekend - 2016/17

    Kick It Out, in partnership with the Premier League, hosted the second Academy Awareness Weekend from 21-23 October, raising awareness of the #EqualityInspires education programme that is delivered into top-flight Academies.

    Over the course of the weekend, more than 60 games were played in Premier League Academies across the country in recognition of the importance of equality and inclusion in football.

    Players and officials from clubs including Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion and West Ham among others, wore Kick It Out merchandise such as t-shirts and stickers to show their support for #EqualityInspires.

    The weekend saw Kick It Out and the Premier League celebrate the delivery of over 80 educational workshops around discrimination to players from Under-11s to Under-23s, as well as academy staff and parents or carers of the players, since the launch of the initiative in August 2015.

    You can see our ‘Twitter Moment’ of the event and read a full report here.

  • Player Workshops

    The aim of the player workshops is to create a positive environment for players, both on and off the pitch, which is free from discrimination and exclusion, assisting them with their own personal development.

    Equality-Inspires-In-Article

    The workshops cover the protected equality characteristics, as well as focusing on the dangers of engaging in discrimination on social media. ‘Banter’ is a key aspect and the players learn how it can also have a negative impact.

    On Tuesday 17 May, Equality Inspires delivered its penultimate workshops for the 2015/16 season during an afternoon spent at The Harefield Academy, home of Watford Football Club’s Academy. In the first of two pieces, Kick It Out spoke to Troy Townsend, the organisation’s Education and Development Manager, as well as other tutors and Chris Thurston, the Hornets’ Head of Education and Welfare, about the success of the initiative in educating academy players.

    You can read a full report of those workshops here.

  • Parent/Carer Workshops

    The parent workshops focus on the importance of the appropriate guidance of an Academy player, helping them understand and appreciate the value of support in a positive way and also the impact of negative words and actions.

    Equality-Inspires-In-Article-2

    On Tuesday 17 May, Equality Inspires delivered its penultimate workshops for the 2015/16 season during an afternoon spent at The Harefield Academy, home of Watford Football Club’s Academy. In the second of two pieces, Kick It Out spoke to parents, as well as Troy Townsend, the organisation’s Education and Development Manager and Chris Thurston, the Hornets’ Head of Education and Welfare.

    You can read a full report about the parent/carer workshops here.

  • Video

    Academy Awareness Weekend at Watford FC – Highlights (October 2016)

    Academy Awareness Weekend – Highlights (October 2015)

    Equality Inspires – Troy Townsend (May 2016)

    Equality Inspires – Marcus Gayle (May 2016)

Equality training delivered – 2017/18

  • October 2017

    Everton – Under-12s to Under-14s

  • September 2017

    Liverpool – Under-18s/Under-23s

    QPR – Under-23s

  • August 2017

    Chelsea – Under-11s/Under-12s

    Chelsea – Under-13s/Under-14s

    Chelsea – Under-15s/Under-16s/Under-18s/Under-23s

  • July 2017

Equality training delivered – Previous Seasons

Click here to see records of the equality training delivered in the 2016/17 season.

Click here to see records of the equality training delivered in the 2015/16 season.

Academy Awareness Weekend – 2015/16

Kick It Out and the Premier League’s inaugural Academy awareness weekend proved a success with Academy players, coaches and parents being made aware of the issues around discrimination and the promotion of inclusion. The weekend marked the launch of the joint education initiative for the players, their families and coaching staff.

Equality-Inspires-2

Read the full report of the inaugural Premier League Academy Awareness weekend here.

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"We have a responsibility as players to give something back and I’m really thankful to be part of this organisation because we can do a lot of good."
Jack Butland, 'Next 20' Ambassador
“A big part of my involvement with Kick It Out stems from my strong admiration for the organisation’s commitment to fairness and equality.”
Clive Tyldesley, football commentator
“It was Kick It Out that convinced the people in football that change was possible.”
Greg Dyke, former FA chairman
“I wanted to thank the campaigners at Kick It Out for their work. I know first-hand how Kick It Out can help.”
Yaya Toure, Manchester City midfielder
“It is important for me in my role as a Kick It Out ‘Next 20’ ambassador to teach young people how to handle discrimination and treat people with respect.”
Romelu Lukaku, 'Next 20' Ambassador
“It is a massive honour for me to be an ambassador for such a great organisation. I think they do great work on and off the field.”
Toni Duggan, 'Next 20' Ambassador
"It really helped me to see that other professional sports people were acknowledging their sexuality. I read about John Amaechi, Gareth Thomas and Tom Daley. They weren't footballers but the fact that they went public gave me the feeling that I was not alone."
Thomas Hitzlsperger, former Aston Villa midfielder
"There was no conflict between religion and the fact that I wanted to play football. I was brought up correctly and in the right way and my parents are very proud of the fact that I am a professional footballer."
Sadio Mané, Liverpool winger
“I think it’s important to share success stories and realise that there are women operating in the game. If it’s something you want to do, you can do it.”
Ffion Eade, Hampshire FA referee
"I've had loads of negative comments from men, especially growing up. It's just boring and old. Times have changed, and they continue to change. Women play football, and they're good at it, and have been for a number of years.”
Kelly Smith, England Women's record goalscorer
"Despite the progress, stereotypes still exist in football and until that is broken down it will be extremely difficult for a woman to manage a top level men's team."
Rachel Yankey, former Arsenal Ladies forward
"There’s no hiding that there is sexism in sport. We have a lack of women right across all levels of management, playing and coaching. It shows the closed nature of sport in general and this includes the media. It’s an indictment of sport as a whole."
Rimla Akhtar, Kick It Out trustee and Chair of the Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation
“I’m proud to be a supporter of Kick It Out and particularly the work they are doing to combat antisemitism within football.”
Joe Jacobson, Wycombe Wanderers midfielder
"With Kick It Out leading the way football is standing up and fighting against those who preach hatred and intolerance and we at Chelsea are proud to support their work."
Bruce Buck, Chelsea Football Club Chairman