Article Conscious Inclusion 2 min read
NFL’s Rooney Rule Inspires England’s Football Association
The 2003 rule meant to encourage a focus on hiring for diversity in the National Football League is helping to set a path forward for the English Football Association, which has faced diversity issues of its own in recent years.
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One of the National Football League’s best-regarded diversity efforts is gaining influence with the other football—soccer.
Recently, the English Football Association (FA) announced it would emulate the Rooney Rule, an NFL requirement that minority candidates be interviewed for coaching and management positions. According to the Associated Press (opens in a new tab), the England national men’s team has never had a nonwhite manager, and the BBC noted in November (opens in a new tab) that just 22 of the 482 senior coaching roles in England’s top football divisions are filled by black, Asian, or other minority coaches.
The Rooney Rule, first implemented in the NFL in 2003, could provide a path forward for England’s league. The NFL has seen much success in hiring minority coaches since implementing the rule, named for former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who led the league’s diversity committee. At the start of the current season, more than a quarter of NFL coaches (opens in a new tab) were minorities. And although some stats suggest (opens in a new tab) minority coaches are more likely to lose their jobs when they are leading a winning team, overall the rule has been a net-positive for the league.
FA CEO Martin Glenn told the BBC (opens in a new tab) that the league’s decision to implement the rule shows that “FA is for all.”
“What it will say is the opportunity to have a career beyond playing is something that the FA is serious about promoting,” he added.
FA has faced controversy in recent months on diversity issues. Last year, Chelsea Ladies Football Club striker Eniola Aluko, who is black, filed a complaint about England women’s coach Mark Sampson, claiming he had bullied and discriminated against her (opens in a new tab). Days later, she was removed from the women’s national team. Sampson was eventually fired (opens in a new tab) amid claims of inappropriate relationships with players.
Glenn added that, in response to the controversy, FA would “make sure everyone who puts on the England shirt has a way to air concerns or grievances in a fair, speedy, and prompt manner.”
(swedewah/E+/Getty Images Plus)
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