Sky Sports and Kick It Out Renew Partnership for Another Year

The partnership between Sky Sports and Kick It Out has been extended for another year, reaffirming their shared commitment to creating a more welcoming environment in football. This one-year extension, valued at £1m in cash and value-in-kind support, aims to combat discrimination and provide 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, and the online education platform The Academy. The Raise Your Game programme, which offers young people from underrepresented communities a chance to enter the football industry, has also received support from Sky Sports. Notable Sky Sports personalities, such as Gary Neville and Bela Shah, have been involved in these initiatives, with Bela mentoring two Raise Your Game delegates, Elliott-Jay Henry and Razaq Folarin. Additionally, Sky Sports has helped promote Kick It Out's partnership with Guinness 0.0, which aims to make pubs more inclusive, and has produced a documentary about Kick It Out founder Lord Herman Ouseley. This documentary was shown on Sky Sports and at England's game against Latvia, highlighting Lord Ouseley's impact on the organisation. The partnership has also supported several other initiatives, including a joint scholarship programme with the University of Liverpool Management School, which has enabled eight candidates to graduate with an MBA in Football Industries. Furthermore, Sky's investment in Kick It Out's digital learning platform, The Academy, has provided educational content on equality, diversity, and inclusion to almost 5,000 people. According to Hollie Varney, COO of Kick It Out, the partnership has grown over the past six years, providing unique education and development opportunities for underrepresented communities in football. David Carrigan, Group Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at Sky, stated that the extension of the partnership reflects Sky's long-term commitment to tackling structural inequality in football. Sky Sports is dedicated to maintaining a platform free of abuse, hate, and profanity, and encourages users to report any hateful content.