Captains of Change

UEFA is launching an innovative project which aims to foster and further promote diversity within the management of football in Europe – and which will also bring an additional energy and positive impetus to this crucial facet of the game.

The Captains of Change programme is being developed to strive for a more inclusive environment in European football, and will be open to anyone who works for a national association or UEFA partner organisation. The programme has the full support of the UEFA top management, and European football's governing body will also help to finance some of the projects that are launched under the scheme.

UEFA is committed to influencing the culture of football organisations and to progressively open them at all levels to a wider range of people with different origins and backgrounds. The Captains of Change initiative represents an exciting new departure, with individuals invited to take part, show the leadership and responsibility qualities of a team captain, and effect real change within football bodies.

"The Captains of Change programme was created to establish real equal opportunities for all minorities in football," says UEFA President Michel Platini. "I believe we are a diverse sport on the field, but more work has to be done to make sure that extends into our administrative and management structures as well. We hope to see strong participants and diversity projects that will change the landscape. I am 100% behind this new programme initiated by UEFA, and I strongly believe it can make a difference."

The programme has been set up in accordance with the belief that diversity is well-developed on the pitch, but less so within football organisations. Studies also illustrate that diversity in the workplace may have positive effects on results and performance. UEFA's impressive Respect campaign encourages values of respect across the game, but no targeted campaign on advancing diversity within football bodies' management has been put in place until now.

Those individuals who become Captains of Change will be trained in how to implement their project, and will learn how to positively shape the football culture in favour of integrating all minority groups irrespective of ethnicity, religion, handicap, gender and sexual orientation. They will work on national and local initiatives to foster diversity in their respective organisations.

Each participant who wishes to be a Captain of Change will be accepted on the basis of a draft diversity project which presents how they intend to nourish diversity within their organisation's culture. Applicants will be selected from UEFA's 54 member associations and partner bodies working with minorities in football. Applicants should be fully backed by their own organisation before they register. A steering committee will validate each project and guide its definition, implementation and follow-up over the one-year programme process.

A maximum 18 participants will be involved in the first edition of the programme, and each one will be requested to develop and implement a diversity project. Five implementation areas have been identified: disability, gender, religion and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and diversity in general.

For the first edition, participants will be chosen this October and will undergo specific training in January. Their projects will be monitored, with follow-ups taking place next spring. Completion and celebration of the inaugural projects will then follow. During the project process, consultation will happen between the participant, their line manager/CEO or general secretary, a UEFA representative and a member of the programme team.

The programme will have its own website where all personal diversity projects and information will be published, along with additional key documents and tools. The aim of the website is to become an open platform accessible also to the general public as well as all major football stakeholders, and a reference point in the area of diversity within European football.