Port Vale receive their RES certificate outside the Houses of Parliament
The framework aims to acknowledge clubs that demonstrate:
* Equality programmes integrated into the club
* Success and local impact of equality programmes
* Senior management support to community practices as well as across the business agenda.
Clubs that achieve the Racial Equality Standard will have the opportunity to:
* Attend an annual celebratory event, hosted by Kick It Out and the governing bodies, to congratulate club success
* Have individual club success profiled to wider business through the annual gathering
* Endorsement from Lord Herman Ouseley and the governing bodies.
Case Studies
FA Premier League - Manchester City FC
Manchester City FC was the first professional club to achieve the Intermediate Level of the Standard in September 2006. On setting out on their journey towards race equality back in 2005, the club understood that in order to engage with the city, they had to get themselves out into the different communities that made Manchester.
Working with the close support of the Chief Executive, the club organised an internal working group headed by their Social Responsibility Manager, a unique role itself within football. They developed an action plan and consulted with appropriate community partners and now have a successful club brand, One City Celebrating the Cultures and Diversity of Manchester.
Coca-Cola Championship - Queens Park Rangers FC
Queens Park Rangers FC Community department pro-actively led on the implementation of the Standard. The department were already working with a variety of statutory and voluntary sector agencies to deliver inclusive packages to their local community.
Colleagues within the club started from the point that in order to make their match day environment appealing to the local community, they had to understand and learn who this community was. They have directed significant resources into estates based projects, as well as nurturing a sense of sustainability through encouraging local young people to deliver activities to their peer group, a number of which have since secured part time coaching opportunities within the club. QPR FC was also one of the first professional clubs to delivera programme to their local Traveller community.
Coca Cola Championship - Blackpool FC
Working closely with the support of the Chairman, Blackpool FC have been working towards the Preliminary Level of the Standard and have shown innovation in their approach to be an all inclusive community club.
Views of the junior board and consultation from the local community are fed back to the official club board on a regular basis. The club have a number of activities that engage and encourage all sections of the community to experience and use the stadium facilities, including female friendly nights at the stadium.
Coca-Cola League 2 - Notts County FC
Notts County FC became the first Football League club to achieve the Preliminary Level of the Standard in September 2005. They have shown their colleagues within the industry that large resources including finances, is not required when working towards equal opportunities.
The club worked with the Supporters' Trust as well as with a local voluntary umbrella group called Voice East Midlands.
Notts County continue to work towards implementing equality practices and through their work in the community are able reach excluded groups within the area. They were recently successful in a bid to Stand Up Speak Up for the development and launch of a poster campaign throughout the city; encouraging participation from across all the diversity strands as well as promoting an incident line to report potential incidents.
Next Steps
If you would like further information on the Racial Equality Standard or would like to get your club involved, please contact Keeley Temple, Development Officer on 020 7684 4884 or keeley@kickitout.org
