As the Premier League and its clubs reaffirm their commitment to increasing diversity across all areas of football through No Room For Racism, staff at Crystal Palace have shared their stories of their rise to senior positions at the club.
The four - Alex Wynter, head of Academy player care; Darren Powell, Under-21s head coach; Susan Patterson-Smith, head of pathways and learning; Dr Imtiaz Ahmad, head of sports medicine and science - represent a range of ethnically diverse backgrounds, and all play leading roles at the Eagles.
Former Palace player Powell, who was a participant on the League’s Elite Coach Apprenticeship Scheme (ECAS), has been encouraged by the growing diversity of coaches.
“From when I started on the course to what the courses look like now is a massive change," he said. "There are more people looking like myself, Asian people, women. I believe more and more people from diverse backgrounds are out there – they’re out now, on courses, in clubs. I’ve seen it and it’s heading in a positive direction."
The Premier League’s four-year update on the No Room For Racism Action Plan highlighted the success of inclusive coaching schemes in driving diversity across the game, with 93 per cent of participants now employed full-time with clubs.
Another focus area is enhancing executive pathways, with 20 per cent of the League’s own workforce coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds. At Palace, figures like Patterson-Smith provide an example across the club.
She explained: “As I’ve seen the other members of staff coming up through the ranks, I recognise that I’m a role model for them, especially other black women. If they see that already portrayed in front of them, then obviously they can reach out and try to attain it.
“I looked at people when I was younger in those sort of roles and it gives you something to aspire to,” adds former professional player Wynter.
“It’s vital they see people that have had the same journey, from the same backgrounds, as them in important positions in society.”
