Manchester City have achieved the Advanced Level of the Premier League Equality Standard after the Club were recognised by a panel of experts for their commitment to equality and diversity.
The Standard built on and replaced Kick It Out’s Equality Standard for Professional Football Clubs, which was reviewed by the Premier League in 2015, and was designed to reflect current equality legislation and case law.
It provides a framework to guide professional football clubs towards achieving equality, ranking them as Preliminary, Intermediate or Advanced.
To achieve Advanced Level of the Premier League Equality Standard, City had to undergo an assessment led by a panel of independent experts to demonstrate that they are committed to a cycle of continuous improvement with regards to equality which is maintained throughout the organisation.
Following an assessment on City earlier this month, the panel recommended the Club’s palpable enthusiasm and commitment to furthering equality and diversity and noted the close alignment between the Clubs philosophy and inclusion.
Commenting on the achievement, Omar Berrada, Chief Operating Officer at Manchester City, said:
“At Manchester City we are driven by a passionate belief that football’s values of performance, teamwork and sportsmanship can empower people to lead better lives, and have made a commitment to ensuring that equality and diversity is embedded at every level within the Club.
“We are delighted that Manchester City has achieved the Advanced Level of the Equality Standard, and look forward to building on our work in this area to continue to demonstrate that football is for everyone.”
Bill Bush, Premier League Executive Director, added:
“The Premier League congratulates Manchester City on achieving the coveted Advanced Level of the Premier League Equality Standard.
“The Standard’s assessment process is rigorous and extremely challenging, and the award reflects Manchester City’s significant progress, over a period of several years, in promoting and embedding equality and diversity across the whole club.”