Appointed in 2019, Bhandari has modernised the charity to become more financially independent with improved governance, an entirely new board, new leadership team and a new team structure.
Last year, he also oversaw the launch of a new five-year strategy ‘Football United’, and, in 2024, the appointment of chief executive Samuel Okafor.
During his time at the charity, Bhandari earned an MBE for his services to football.
Kick It Out, which was established in 1993, will now begin a formal recruitment process. It plans to identify a preferred candidate by the end of December 2026. It is intended that a new chair would then participate in an orderly transition, shadowing the current chair until the end of the season before formally taking up the role of chair on 1 July 2027.
The new chair will take the reins at a time when significant challenges remain to make football more inclusive, more representative of the communities it serves both on and off the pitch, and in tackling discrimination.
However, the charity has established itself as a leading voice in campaigning for policy change through ongoing engagement with government, regulators and football governing bodies such as the Premier League, EFL, WSL, the FA, LMA and the PFA.
It also delivers leading education programmes with fans, in club academies and online, and offers development opportunities via the Raise Your Game programme.
In addition to producing football’s most transparent discrimination reporting service following a season where people are reporting abuse more than ever, Kick It Out has extended its reach through a new partnership with Guinness 0.0 so that 4,000 staff have been trained to identify and tackle discrimination in 900 Greene King sports bars across England, Scotland and Wales.
Working in partnership with Sky, McDonald’s Fun Football, Visit Tampa Bay and Morrisons Foundation, Kick It Out is aiming for further growth in its education and inclusion programmes as part of its strategy to 2030.
Sanjay Bhandari said: “It has been a tremendous honour to chair Kick It Out. Our ‘Football United’ strategy is deliberately built on a vision of bringing together governing bodies, clubs, players, supporters, communities and partners to create lasting change. In a world that often feels increasingly negative and divided, we are consciously seeking to strike a different tone.
“The new chair will play a pivotal role in helping Kick It Out deliver that vision, by leading an experienced and committed Board, and working closely with our chief executive, to represent an organisation that has become one of the most respected voices for equality and inclusion in sport.
“This is a unique opportunity for someone who believes in the power of football to bring people together and who wants to help shape the future of the nation’s game.”
