Doncaster Rovers Belles and Doncaster Rovers are among the first clubs in the UK to pledge their commitment to the FA’s newly launched Football Leadership Diversity Code.
The code aims to drive diversity and inclusion across the football league with sides from across the EFL, Premier League, Barclays FA Women’s Super League, and FA Women’s Championship pledging their commitment to tackle inequality across senior leadership positions, broader team operations and coaching roles.
Recognising that some off field structures within the industry do not currently reflect the gender and ethnic diversity seen on the field, the FA - alongside executives, players, coaches and other leaders from across the game which included Club Doncaster chief executive Gavin Baldwin and head of people and culture Kirsty Cavanagh - have agreed to follow the Football Leadership Diversity Code in order to help football better represent a modern and diverse society.
By signing up to the code, Club Doncaster will be making employment practices accountable externally as the club strives to improve further on the good practice which is already embedded in the ethos of Club Doncaster and its elite sports teams. Joining the code, comes in addition to the confirmed recognition of the EFL code of practice award for equality and diversity which the club already holds.
Within the effort undertaken by the organisation, Club Doncaster have already been working on processes such as the usage of anonymised shortlisting and working with specific groups to target our recruitment levels at all areas of our reflective community. The club already provides mentors for coaches from under-represented groups and programmes, but this code will push the club to put even more of this into practice.
Staff at Club Doncaster will be working closely with the FA to further improve and enhance practices, which will be scrutinised by them as well as our colleagues at the EFL.