Sky Sports and Kick It Out Renew Partnership

Sky Sports and Kick It Out have agreed to a one-year extension of their partnership, marking a sixth year of collaboration. The renewed partnership is valued at £1m and will continue to focus on tackling discrimination and creating opportunities for underrepresented groups in football. 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. The Raise Your Game programme, which provides opportunities for young people from underrepresented communities, has also received support from Sky Sports. The partnership has enabled the training of thousands of Greene King staff to make pubs more inclusive and spot football-related discrimination. Additionally, Sky Sports has produced a documentary about Kick It Out founder Lord Herman Ouseley to educate younger audiences about his impact on the organisation. The documentary was shown on Sky Sports and at England's game against Latvia. The £30m commitment from Sky to tackle structural inequality has supported several initiatives, including a joint scholarship programme with the University of Liverpool Management School and ongoing investment in Kick It Out's digital learning platform. Hollie Varney, COO of Kick It Out, expressed gratitude for Sky's ongoing support, stating that the 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 forward a more inclusive and representative game. Sky Sports is committed to creating a safe and respectful environment for comment and debate on its social media platforms, free from abuse, hate, and profanity.