The League Managers Association (LMA) has called for an end to the “bias” in recruitment which it believes is fostering a lack of diversity among head coaches in the English football pyramid.
Among the 92 clubs in the top four tiers of English football, there are currently just two black managers: Nuno Espírito Santo at the Premier League side Nottingham Forest and Darren Moore at Port Vale in League Two.
The LMA chief executive, Richard Bevan, insists clubs and governing bodies have to act quickly. “It is important the game strives to remove bias from, and increase transparency in, recruitment,” Bevan said. “Only by doing so can access to employment be a truly level playing field.
“We continue to advocate for enhanced compulsory recruitment and employment regulations and practices, removing the barriers of informality in the game’s employment market that act to limit the career progression of individuals from under-represented groups.”
Assisting coaches from diverse backgrounds to obtain Uefa qualifications is vital, Bevan said, describing them as “the mandatory, master key to the door of employment”. The LMA is partnering with Sheffield Hallam University to learn more about the career experience of coaches from underrepresented groups.
Bevan was speaking at the launch of a new campaign supported by the LMA, where managers are working to raise awareness during World Alzheimer’s Month by wearing Alzheimer’s Society badges.
The interim England manager, Lee Carsley, will be the first to do so when his side face the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday evening. Other managers across the men’s and women’s game will also show their support for the campaign throughout September. The campaign aims to help fans learn the signs and symptoms of dementia.
The former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter, whose mother had dementia, is supporting the campaign. He said: “I know first-hand what a difficult and cruel condition it is and why the work of charities like Alzheimer’s Society is so vital.
“Dementia impacts so many people in different ways – it’s a crisis that can’t be ignored, but many people still don’t know much about the signs and symptoms. Football has the power to educate and empower a massive audience, so I’m very pleased to see the sport come together for an issue close to my heart, to help fans learn what to look out for.”