Inclusion Advisory Committee Member (Grassroots Football)

Inclusion Advisory Committee Member representing Grassroots Football

Our Organisation

The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England. We are responsible for promoting and developing the game at all levels; from grassroots through to the professional game, The FA Cup and the England teams, and has two core assets: Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.

The FA's vision is that football is for everyone and we are determined to break down barriers which get in the way of progress. Today, we are the governing body of a national community that includes more than 15.7 million football participants, almost 30 million spectators and more than 90,000 grassroots teams.

At The FA, equality, diversity and inclusion means valuing and celebrating our differences. Nurturing the right working environment and culture means everyone thrives and can be themselves.

For the game, it means everyone's welcome, ensuring differences between us do not create barriers to getting into football and staying involved.

We believe embracing equality, diversity and inclusion makes us stronger, and better equipped to meet the challenges of the modern game.

The Role

The FA is seeking to appoint a new representative to its Inclusion Advisory Committee (IAC) with a deep knowledge of the Grassroots game.

The IAC was introduced in 2013 following the introduction of the cross-football Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Plan. Today it reports into the main Board and works very closely with the executive responsible for delivering the EDI strategy on the ground. Already made up of four members we are keen to add the experience of someone who can represent the real-world experience and point of view from our grassroots community.

This autumn we will launch our next 4-year equality, diversity and inclusion strategy- A Game Free From Discrimination which has evolved from its previous iteration, A Game For All.

The new strategy is broken down under 3 pillars:

• Boosting Representation: ensuring diversity of officials, players, coaches, volunteers, and employees.
• Driving Inclusion: helping everyone involved in the game, in whatever capacity, feel welcome.
• Tackling Discrimination: creating a culture where prejudice and abuse is routinely challenged and addressed.

Key Accountabilities

As part of the IAC you will be required to:

• Be an advocate for The FAs equality, diversity and inclusion work; influencing and championing the work to contribute to its success, with a particular focus on advocating for the grassroots game.
• Debate issues, reflecting the views and interests of underrepresented groups, whilst acting in the best interests of The FA;
• overlaps with first point Be able to challenge and provide constructive guidance to the executive on inclusion and anti-discrimination matters and from time to time be willing to opine on complex matters where a committee decision is required;
• Actively contribute and provide thought leadership to the development of strategy; advise and participate in implementation (where required and practically possible).

What we are looking for:

• A passion for the equality, diversity and inclusion across the breadth of the ecosystem
• A broad knowledge of the issues and challenges facing underrepresented groups in football.
• Knowledge and thought leadership that is progressive and beneficial to the ongoing development of The FA's work in this area.
• A sound understanding of the modern game of football in its various forms and of the structures and processes within football.
• The ability to build and maintain constructive working relationships with others (including fellow IAC Members, FA colleagues and colleagues from across the football family).
• A willingness to act in the best interests of The FA without regard to personal interest or benefit.

Time Commitment

As a minimum, IAC Members should attend four meetings each year, typically at quarterly intervals. Meetings are usually held on a weekday at Wembley Stadium although at least one of these meetings may be held at The National Football Centre at St. George's Park near Burton-On-Trent. In addition, you may be asked to represent The FA at various events/forums.

Members will be appointed for a term of two years, after which they will be eligible for reappointment to a maximum of four times two years.