FA set ethnic diversity quota target for England coaching staff by 2028 -alongside drive to crack down on discriminatory abuse suffered by stars

  • FA have set targets for BAME coaches and various quotas for their wider staff
  • Diversity drive comes amid a reported rise in racist abuse, sexism, and misogyny
  • Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah - LISTEN NOW to It's All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday

The Football Association want a minimum of 25 per cent of England men's team coaches to come from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2028.

English football’s governing body released their new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for the next four years on Tuesday - a document exclusively revealed by Mail Sport - and a commitment to improving the number of black, asian, mixed or other ethnic background (BAME) coaches that work within the national teams across all age groups has emerged as a leading theme.

The FA also revealed their intention to:

  • Crack down on the worrying trend of England players suffering discriminatory abuse
  • Have 50 percent for England women’s coaching staff come from BAME backgrounds
  • Have females make up half of their total workforce, with 20 percent of BAME origin
The FA want 25 per cent of England men's team coaches to be from BAME backgrounds by 2028 - and for that number to be 50 per cent for the Lionesses

The FA want 25 per cent of England men's team coaches to be from BAME backgrounds by 2028 - and for that number to be 50 per cent for the Lionesses

Paul Nevin (centre), Jimmy Flloyd Hasselbaink (right) and Chris Powell (not pictured) all worked with the senior team under Gareth Southgate

Paul Nevin (centre), Jimmy Flloyd Hasselbaink (right) and Chris Powell (not pictured) all worked with the senior team under Gareth Southgate 

  • Make reporting of diversity numbers across professional football mandatory
  • Grow a more diverse pool of referees
  • Increase the number of players and coaches from under represented groups

According to the report, the number of BAME coaches working across England men's teams currently stands at 19 percent.

But the document, published on Tuesday, has pledged to have that figure rise to 25 percent with an ambitious ‘stretch target’ of 30 percent.

That commitment comes at a time when it is yet to be concluded whether incoming England senior head coach Thomas Tuchel will have an ethnically diverse coach on his backroom team.

Chris Powell, Paul Nevin and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink all worked with the senior England team during Gareth Southgate’s eight year reign while Ashley Cole and Joleon Lescott assisted Lee Carsley’s recent interim period in charge.

The move to increase diversity across top coaching roles has split public opinion amid a popular belief that such appointments should purely be based on ability.

The FA also want females to make up half their staff, and LGBTQ+ people to comprise 14 per cent of their workforce

The FA also want females to make up half their staff, and LGBTQ+ people to comprise 14 per cent of their workforce

Nevetheless, the FA are determined to ensure their most prestigious coaching positions represent a cross-section of society.

Elsewhere in the document, the FA disclosed that one of their key targets is to tackle the vile abuse England footballers have received in recent years.

In a human rights report conducted by UEFA following Euro 2024, it was revealed Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham were the two most seriously abused players at the tournament.

Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were all targeted with online racial abuse after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.

In the report, the FA say they have calculated a 47 percent rise in racist abuse across all levels and a 44 percent rise in instances of sexism and misogyny.

Other highlights from the dossier include a clear commitment to promoting the Rainbow Laces campaign, aimed at ensuring members of the LBGTQ+ community are welcomed across English football.

Indeed, the FA have set a target of 14 percent of all their employees to be LGBTQ+ by 2028.

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