No Room For Racism

No Room For Racism Action Plan progress: Embedding equality

9 Feb 2023

We look at what clubs are doing to embed and develop equality, diversity and inclusion across their operations

To mark the two-year anniversary of the launch of the Premier League No Room For Racism Action Plan, the Premier League is updating the progress that has been made on the six key objectives that were set out in its No Room For Racism Action Plan.

We will also outline the targets that have been set for those “key pillars” to ensure that this momentum continues.

Embedding Equality

The Premier League Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard (PLEDIS) was launched in 2021 to support clubs, including all Premier League clubs, to embed and develop equality, diversity and inclusion across their operations.

The PLEDIS is closely aligned with The Football Association's Football Leadership Diversity Code, ensuring a collaborative approach to tackling under-representation within football.

It mandates greater accountability for progress, including the publication of annual progress reports, and covers all areas of a club’s activities, including its role as an employer, match day operations, Academy, first team, Club Community Organisation (CCO) and fans.

In April 2022, a new Independent Assessment Panel was recruited to assess clubs against the PLEDIS framework.

At present there are 27 clubs taking part in PLEDIS: all 20 current Premier League clubs and seven clubs relegated to the EFL who are continuing on the PLEDIS pathway. These seven clubs receive the same level of support and guidance as Premier League clubs.

Last month, Brentford became the latest Premier League club to show their progress on the PLEDIS pathway by being awarded with the preliminary level of the PLEDIS.

See: Brentford equality initiatives recognised with PL award

"Here at Brentford, we strive to put inclusivity at the forefront of everything we do," Brentford's non-executive director Monique Choudhuri said upon receiving the standard.

"We're very committed and passionate about EDI and it's important with how we recruit our staff, and how we engage with fans and fan groups.

"Widening our EDI initiatives is always a moving target but PLEDIS is an excellent framework to measure our achievements and ensure we are keeping on track. We're very grateful to the Premier League for this award and also the support of our fans and staff involved in implementing our initiatives."