Black coaches being denied career progression by ‘broken rungs’ in system, study finds

The Black Football Partnership has warned that the game is in danger of being a ‘one-in one-out employer of Black talent’ when it comes to leadership and managerial roles

Chris Hughton said the lack of Black representation off the pitch “continues to be a ingrained problem” (Getty Images)

Black former players are still encountering limited opportunities in football leadership roles, according to a scathing annual review by the Black Football Partnership [BFP].

Although the traditional entry point for burgeoning coaches is League Two, the study by Professor Stefan Szymanski found that the hiring rate there for Black coaches is worse than any other league, which “makes career progression more difficult”.

The BFP, which is a membership organisation of present and former Black players, also accused the Football Association of taking “comfort in vague and misleading data” which provides “only a partial and unusually rosy picture of the state of play”.

The FA “strongly reject” those claims and insisted that their Football Leadership Diversity Code shows progress has been made. However, sources within the BFP feel this view is significantly undermined by their own evidence-based report.

The study instead found no significant change in Black management-related recruitment between 2021 and 2023, with “broken rungs” at the bottom of the ladder inhibiting career progress. BFP are now calling on the game to “get around the table” to develop a meaningful partnership to achieve change.

Among the other key findings were that the number of management-related positions held by Black employees has risen from 49 individuals out of 1338 (3.7 per cent) in 2022 to 57 out of 1304 (4.4 per cent) in 2023.

The number of new hires of Black football leaders meanwhile barely increased, with the number going from 21 out of 325 (6.5 per cent) to 26 out of 379 (6.9 per cent) in 2023. It was similarly found that the key starting point of League Two had the least opportunities for Black employees, with just three out of 68 new roles (4.4 per cent) compared to 11 out of 165 (9.5 per cent) in the Championship.

BFP have consequently criticised the “lack of concrete, evidenced progress in contrast to the optimistic note struck by the FA’s Football Leadership Diversity Code, which says that ‘clubs continue to exceed the target for recruitment of senior Black, Asian or Mixed Heritage coaches’”.

“My report from 2022 to 2023 strikingly points to no evidence of significant career progression change for Black employees off the pitch despite the various initiatives the game has trumpeted,” Professor Szymanski says. “Even the well-intentioned Football Leadership Diversity Code strikes an optimistic note when nothing much has changed.”

Delroy Corinaldi, executive director of BFP, meanwhile added: “We are an evidence-based organisation because we know the game understands numbers. These numbers are stark. The game is in danger of being a one-in one-out employer of Black talent even when Black coaches are qualified to do the roles after contributing so much to the game as players.’

“We are ready to roll our sleeves up and help the game turn its actions into words. We hope the game is willing to do the same so that next years forgives are different.”

Chris Hughton, the Ghana manager and former professional, meanwhile declared himself disappointed by the findings.

“I’ve been a player, coach and manager for many decades and the lack of Black representation off the pitch continues to be a ingrained problem, despite the many initiatives I’ve seen at the LMA, PFA and now the FA Leadership Diversity Code,” said the former Brighton, Norwich and Nottingham Forest boss.

“I love the game and to see the evidence that Black, talented, up-and-coming managers and coaches struggle to get on the first rung of the ladder in League Two and League One to build meaningful careers is disappointing.

“The owners and the people running the game are sincere about change but the numbers and statistics say it is not working. The game needs to engage with all potential new stakeholders to bring the changes that we all want to see.”

An FA spokesperson told The Independent: "We are deeply committed to ensuring that English football is truly reflective of our modern and diverse society. This is fundamental to our core beliefs, and we are focused on delivering diverse and meaningful change in football. We do this across a number of our initiatives, including the ground-breaking Football Leadership Diversity Code, which was launched in 2020.

“The code now has over 60 signatories, including all Premier League clubs, 29 EFL clubs, The FA, Premier League and EFL, who are all committed to diverse recruitment and the annual publication of their results – and we strongly reject any suggestion that the published data is either vague or misleading. Whilst we are making positive and tangible progress, through our evidence-led approach, we also recognise that more can be done by everyone in the game and that substantive change will take time.

“We will continue to work with our stakeholders in English football to develop and grow in this critical area.”