Responding to the Diversity Challenge

Sports can’t be truly inclusive if they’re built on exclusive ideas of who “deserves” to be there. Inclusion isn’t just about diversity; it’s about how we design environments where everyone feels they belong, on and off the pitch.    In this episode of Equity in Action, Zoiey Smale, Disability, Access, and Inclusion Consultant and Sports Presenter, is joined by Laura Samuels, Safeguarding Manager, Leicester City Football Club Women, Cleveland Taylor, Head of Player Care, Leicester City Football Club Men, and Aura Chacón, Community Engagement Coach, Leicester City in the Community. They discuss the initiatives that Leicester City Football Club is championing to make its sporting community inclusive and comfortable for people from all backgrounds.  Zoiey, Laura, Cleveland, and Aura offer actionable solutions that create a fair sporting environment:  Put the person before the performance: Whether you’re in coaching, admin, or community work, build systems that look after the person first, not just the athlete or participant. Make regular “check-in” conversations a non‑negotiable part of your routine and broaden the conversation to include their lives off the pitch.    Create strong community voices: Create formal and informal ways for players, parents, staff, and community members to influence decisions, then act on what you hear. Set up feedback forums, surveys, and speak to people in real life to influence decisions within the organisation.    Use lived experience to influence the community: Treat your own and others lived experiences as expertise. Design programs with people, not for them, especially when engaging underrepresented groups.   ---   Sporting Equals is a leading UK charity promoting race equality and equity in sport and physical activity. Their mission is to create a sporting landscape where ethnically diverse communities feel included, represented, and able to thrive – whether on the pitch, in leadership, or in decision-making spaces.