Southampton sign FA's Leadership Diversity Code a year on

Last October, the club were the only Premier League team not to sign up and have explained their wait, saying they wanted to see: “How the revised Premier League Equality Standard and the FLDC would complement before considering revising our recruitment targets.”

Post the introduction of the Premier League Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard in 2021, Saints now say they better understand the objectives and were happy to sign up.

The FA state that the code seeks to ensure that the best people for job are still hired, but that they know diversity reigns on the pitch and that more needs to be done off the pitch to make the game representative of society.

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The code seeks to tie professional clubs to firm commitments that include ensuring certain percentages of their coaching staff are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and are representative of genders and identities.

The @FA has today published A Game For All.

The new three-year equality, diversity and inclusion strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to use our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.

Watch the video to learn more. pic.twitter.com/DCpD7gsw2m

— England Football (@EnglandFootball) October 8, 2021

That also includes senior administration teams, and FA recruitment shortlists will always have a strictly diverse range of candidates.

The organisation will publish clearly their diversity action plans, as well as publishing updates on its progress every year so the change can be seen, monitored and if needed, actioned on.

Saints’ signature means that a year on, every Premier League club is now a signatory of the code, as well as a number of EFL clubs, including Bournemouth and Portsmouth, and some women’s clubs.