Chair of FA's inclusion advisory board, Paul Elliott, also working to develop a Football Leadership Diversity Code, which is set to be launched in October
Tuesday 29 September 2020 13:38, UK
The composition of the Football Association board will be reviewed over the next nine months, the chair of the governing body's inclusion advisory board, Paul Elliott, has said.
FA chairman Greg Clarke had said on July 28 that board representatives from the professional game - the Premier League and the EFL - had stood in the way of such a review but backed down from that claim in a further statement later that day.
In the second statement, Clarke said: "I recognise now that the views held by the members of the board were not as they first appeared, and that all parties do support a review of FA board diversity."
Elliott has now set out the next stages in the process.
"Over the next nine months, a detailed board review will be undertaken and once an outline and proposal has been agreed by the board, this will go through the relevant formal approval processes," he said.
"I am delighted that these discussions are under way."
Clarke had initially stated that the review would lead to Elliott becoming a director and free up a further two positions which could be occupied by diverse candidates, as two independent directors had expressed a willingness to stand down.
Elliott added on Tuesday that a number of options would now be looked at.
"As there are several ways to further diversify the board, different options must also be considered before an approval process begins," he said.
"This is why it's more complex than simply adding another seat to the table. The process of altering the composition of boards is by no means unique to the FA and, naturally, it takes time and would need to be finalised in accordance with the constitution."
Elliott is also working to develop a Football Leadership Diversity Code, which he is hopeful will launch in October to coincide with Black History Month.
The code, which has yet to be fully agreed, will see clubs and other football bodies commit to meaningful targets to improve diversity at all levels.
"The code is something that we want, and need, to see embedded across all 92 professional clubs in the men's game, clubs across the Barclays FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship, as well as those throughout the National League system," Elliott said.
"Many clubs are already doing great work in this space, but it's now time to take the next step. We are also working on a version of the code for the game at grassroots level, which we hope to launch in March 2021."
