Sky Sports and Kick It Out Renew Their Partnership

Sky Sports has extended its partnership with Kick It Out for another year, reaffirming the organisations' shared commitment to making football a more inclusive and welcoming environment. The one-year extension marks the sixth year of their partnership, with a continued investment of £1m in a combination of cash and value-in-kind support to combat discrimination and create career opportunities in 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 to make pubs more welcoming, 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 been instrumental in promoting diversity and inclusion in football, with Sky Sports using its platform to amplify voices, create opportunities, and challenge discrimination. Key events and initiatives have included the launch of Kick It Out's 'Football United' strategy, a documentary about Kick It Out founder Lord Herman Ouseley, and the Media Raise Your Game event. The partnership is part of Sky's £30m commitment to tackling structural inequality and has supported several other initiatives, including a joint scholarship programme with the University of Liverpool Management School and ongoing investment in Kick It Out's digital learning platform. According to Hollie Varney, COO of Kick It Out, the partnership has provided unique education and development opportunities for underrepresented communities in football, while 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 dedicated to creating a safe and respectful environment for comment and debate on its social media platforms and encourages users to report any hateful or discriminatory content.