Ethnic diversity and inclusion in the senior leadership workforce in sport

Previous research has also indicated some concerns regarding the open-ness of selection and recruitment practices, the lack of opportunities for development and progression, and experiences of marginalisation, all of which leads to a feeling of exclusion amongst ethnically diverse groups. Further, in recent years, some sports bodies have exhibited significant structural failings in identifying and addressing incidents of racism and racialised inequities in their sports.

Against this backdrop, experts at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, have conducted a pioneering and innovative research project examining ethnic diversity and inclusion in the senior leadership workforce in sport.

Examining ethnic diversity and inclusion in the sport senior leadership workforce

The research team conducted analysis of Board and SLT positions at 18 sports bodies based at the Loughborough University East Midlands campus, including nine National Governing Bodies of Sports. More specifically, the research team examined four key areas of focus with respect to the senior leadership workforce: (i) the levels of representation of ethnically diverse groups, (ii) the benefits of ethnic diversity, (iii) key organisational challenges to increasing ethnic diversity, (iv) and existing and emerging examples of good ‘race’ equity practice.

The research has several key findings which shine a light on the representational levels, benefits, and challenges to establishing an ethnically diverse senior leadership workforce in sports. The research found that:

• Overall levels of representation of ethnically diverse groups in the senior leadership workforce (Board and SLT combined) is 13.9%. This includes significant differences in the levels of representation at Board (17.6%) and SLT (8.1%) level. Findings also indicate significant variation in representation at Board and SLT level between individual sports bodies
• There are many operational and organisational benefits of establishing an ethnically diverse senior leadership workforce at Board and SLT level. In particular: a) the enhanced operational functioning of sports bodies engendered by the different lived experiences and cognitive and demographic diversity of ethnically diverse senior leaders, and b) the enhanced cultural appeal and marketability of sports bodies enabled by the representation of ethnically diverse role models in senior leadership.
• Organisational challenges to establishing an ethnically diverse senior leadership workforce at Board and SLT level exist across three key themes: firstly, organisational structures and pathways, with respect to existing processes of recruitment and retention, and preferences for leadership candidates drawn from within the sports sector; secondly, organisational cultures and uneven experiences of inclusivity, with respect to the perceptions and realities of leadership contexts as white spaces, and the impacts of cultures of whiteness on the engagement and experiences of ethnically diverse groups; thirdly, organisational focus, resource and knowledge, with respect to the lack of prior strategic emphasis, allocation of funding support, or understanding of racialised barriers to career progression experienced by ethnically diverse groups in senior leadership domains.
• Evidence of good ‘race’ equity practice can be found across the sector. This includes; recent strategic revisions and the use of ‘race’ specific positive action measures, amending and establishing equitable recruitment processes and practices, supporting and enabling the vocational development of aspiring senior leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and educating senior decision makers at sports bodies on EDI and ‘race’ equity related issues.

Policy Recommendations

The research features extensive recommendations for action which are intended to build on and extend existing and emerging good ‘race’ equity practice. The recommendations are targeted primarily at CEO’s and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion leads, but also encourage collaboration with and input from the DCMS, UK Sport, Sport England, Sporting Equals and other key stakeholders. They directly relate to the Loughborough based sports bodies but have strong applicability and transferability to other sports bodies across the sector.

The recommendations are designed to enable a strong strategic and operational commitment and related actions to increase ethnic diversity and embed ‘race’ equity in the senior leadership workforce. In doing so, the recommendations are categorised into four themes:

• Establishing a holistic, multi-levelled and transformational approach to ‘race’ equity
• Establishing ‘race’ equitable processes and practices of recruitment
• Enabling the development and career progression of ethnically diverse senior leaders
• Educating and increasing the cultural competence of key stakeholders.

About the author 

Dr Steven Bradbury is a Senior Lecturer in Sport, Equality and Diversity at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University. He is the module leader for the 'Sport, Diversity and Social Justice’ module, and contributes to teaching and supervision at BSc, MSc and PhD level. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and is a member of the Sociology and Sport Management teaching group and the Sport, Business and Society research theme. Previously, Dr Bradbury worked as a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Youth Sport (2002-2013) and as a Research Assistant at the Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research (1994-1996). He has also completed a PhD in the Sociology of Sport (1998-2002), an MA in Public Order (1996-1997), a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology (1994-1995), and a BSc in Sociology (1991-1994) at the University of Leicester.

Over the last 25 years, Dr Bradbury has conducted high quality and impactful research. The findings from his research have been published as reports, book chapters and articles in peer reviewed journals, and have been presented to academic, practitioner and governmental audiences at a national and international level. In particular, in relation to research examining the representation and experiences of ethnically diverse players, coaches and governance staff, and the effectiveness of measures to address racialised inequities in football and other sports contexts. He is also the co-editor of a new book entitled ‘‘Race’, Ethnicity and Racism in Sports Coaching’.