The football industry has people working within it that come from many different backgrounds. It should be always be a welcoming and accommodating environment for everyone regardless of their race, gender, sexuality or disability which sets the stage for inclusion in football careers.

In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be any prejudice or hostility towards anyone because of their differences.

The thing that we all have in common is a love of football and the desire to forge a successful career in that particular sport/industry. It’s hard enough attempting to work your way into the industry without having to face discrimination or being told that you don’t belong within it. Sadly, there are still cases of that where individuals are judged by who they are rather than what they have to offer with regards to their skills and knowledge.

Despite that, there are lots of positives about the football industry and how it does accept people without judgement including inclusion in football careers. That then creates a sense of community between everyone with football being the thing bringing them all together. Thankfully, modern football is a very diverse place which allows individuals to find their perfect environment to thrive and follow their passion. It’s an absolute privilege to see people doing what they love and being successful.

As a community, we should always support each other’s work and highlight the success stories. By doing so, we can learn what makes people who they are and how that enables them to thrive within the football industry. It would be quite boring if everyone was the same.

Personal Experience With Inclusion in Football Careers

As someone on the Autism Spectrum, I can safely say that football has been an integral part of my life. I’ve always been intensely passionate about it and felt accepted by everyone I’ve come across within the industry thus far. They’ve not been antagonistic or judged me because of my autistic characteristics and have viewed me for the person that I am. As a result, that’s provided the opportunity to showcase what I can do and get my name out there.

I’ve managed to do lots of things I never thought I’d ever do. This includes conducting post-match interviews both in an audio and visual format. That was a major test of my ability to hold my phone for an extended amount of time and also my interviewing technique. I gradually built up confidence from each interview I did and remain incredibly grateful to everyone I interviewed for their excellent support and appreciation of my position. The community aspect of non-league football helped me with learning to navigate social situations and instil confidence within myself and believed that inclusion in football careers exists . This was something I found challenging as a teenager. It forced me to interact with the players, management team, fellow volunteers and supporters. I felt right at home with everything and it only went to reinforce my love of football. It also helped spark my passion for my output through written and social media content.

Producing the match previews/reports and press releases was and still is a very enjoyable part of my voluntary endeavours. It’s partly because of the routine of doing it every week, but also due to the amount of passion I have for writing in the first place. This also comes from my autistic brain and means I’m always looking to be creative.

Fundamentally, diversity and inclusion in football careers are crucial because it’s about seeing what people have to offer. We need different voices and perspectives in order to both develop the football industry and the plethora of roles available. As a result, it creates new role models and encourages those from marginalised backgrounds to get involved. Without being provided the chance to be accepted and try out specific roles, you don’t know what people are capable of achieving.