Sky Sports and Kick It Out Renew Their Partnership

Sky Sports has extended its partnership with Kick It Out for an additional year, reaffirming their shared dedication to fostering a more inclusive football environment. This one-year extension marks the sixth year of their collaboration, with a continued investment of £1 million in a combination of cash and value-in-kind support to combat discrimination and create career opportunities within the sport. Over the past year, Sky Sports has supported various Kick It Out initiatives, including the launch of the 'Football United' strategy, a partnership with Guinness 0.0, and the online education platform, The Academy, as well as the Raise Your Game programme. The latter provides young individuals from underrepresented communities with the chance to take their first steps in football. Kick It Out's 'Football United' strategy was unveiled at an event in Battersea, attended by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville and hosted by Sky Sports News presenter Bela Shah. Bela also mentored two Raise Your Game delegates, Elliott-Jay Henry and Razaq Folarin, who co-hosted an event for the first time after meeting Bela at Sky Sports Studios. Razaq praised Bela's advice, stating that her words were invaluable to him. Sky Sports also helped promote Kick It Out's partnership with Guinness 0.0, aimed at making pubs more welcoming, with Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison attending the launch event. This partnership will provide training to thousands of Greene King staff on creating inclusive environments and identifying football-related discrimination. Furthermore, Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth hosted Kick It Out's Media Raise Your Game event, where producer Maryam Chaudhary and reporter Chris Reidy led a workshop for a record number of attendees. Additionally, Sky Sports produced a documentary about Kick It Out founder Lord Herman Ouseley, which was shown on Sky Sports and at England's game against Latvia to coincide with what would have been Lord Ouseley's 80th birthday. The documentary aimed to educate younger audiences about Lord Ouseley's impact on the organisation, which he founded over 30 years ago. Funded through Sky's £30 million commitment to address structural inequality, Sky's investment in Kick It Out has supported several initiatives over the past six years. These include a joint scholarship programme with the University of Liverpool Management School, providing underrepresented students with the opportunity to earn an MBA in Football Industries, as well as investment in Kick It Out's digital learning platform, The Academy. The platform has delivered educational content on equality, diversity, and inclusion to almost 5,000 individuals. Hollie Varney, COO of Kick It Out, expressed gratitude for Sky's ongoing support, stating that their partnership has provided unique education and development opportunities for underrepresented communities in football. David Carrigan, Group Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at Sky, emphasized the importance of the partnership in driving a more inclusive and representative game. Sky Sports is committed to maintaining a platform free of abuse, hate, and profanity, and encourages users to report any instances of hate speech. Kick It Out is dedicated to challenging discrimination and promoting inclusive practices within the football community.