Raise Your Game

For over 10 years, Raise Your Game has been helping young people pave their way within the football industry. Currently supported by the Premier League, Raise Your Game is a unique mentoring and leadership programme which exists to provide open and equal opportunities for people who aspire to work within football.

Whilst diversity on the pitch has grown, with the proportion of British Premier League players from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds doubling since the league began in 1992, this is not reflected in other areas of the game; the representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and women in coaching, management and administrative positions remains extremely low. Raise Your Game aims to change that. By offering aspiring young people targeted and relevant support for their chosen career path, we strive to open up the game to provide a level-playing field for all.

Throughout each season, we host a number of events that span across the industry, covering Coaching, Media and Communications, Player Services, Grassroots, Refereeing, Sports Science and Business & Administration. At each event delegates are given the opportunity to receive one-to-one mentoring from experts across the football industry, as well as taking part in bespoke careers workshops and participating in engaging and inspiring discussions with leading figures within the game.

The RYG Intermediary Event – player services is an area of the footballing world which is not widely understood. The RYG Intermediary Event provides attendees with a unique and in-depth insight into the sports agency business; sitting down with players, agents, football writers and family members, attendees are provided the opportunity to explore the illusive business of player transfers and even develop their own transfer proposal.

The RYG Women’s Event – as a male-dominated industry, football can be difficult to navigate as a woman. It is vital that we open up career pathways for girls and women and the RYG Women's Event is aimed at doing that. It provides a safe and inclusive space for women in the industry to share their journeys and experiences, and for attendees to receive one-to-one mentoring and guidance from female role models.

The RYG Media Event – with racism and discrimination being the biggest problem faced in football, it is vital for the media to be equipped to cover such issues from a position of understanding. Making football media more representative is theway to ensure this and has been a key objective of Kick It Out’s work for a decade. The RYG Media Event provides attendees with essential information to secure a foothold in the industry, with industry-leading experts from organisations such as BBC, Sky Sports and TalkSport providing support and insight into the most important issues in the football media.  

The RYG National Conference – RYG’s season rounds off with the RYG National Conference, bringing together an array of footballing talent and knowledge under one roof to provide guidance and support for the next generation of football’s workforce. Each year over 300 attendees are provided the unique opportunity to sit down with experts in their chosen area of interest to receive one-to-one mentoring, as well as attending specially-designed workshops.

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To find out more about Raise Your Game, contact Keshini Mauree-Bain, Raise Your Game Project Officer, at [email protected]