DyNAMC Dispatch January 2017 Issue 8 | Page 19

AGOPE – A GOAL OF PURE EQUALITY
INCIDENTS OF RACIAL ABUSE AND HATE CRIMES AIMED AT FANS ON MATCH DAYS AND PLAYERS FROM A BLACK ASIAN MINORITY ETHNIC ( BAME )

CAN SPORTS EVER BECOME

THE EQUALIZER ?

Sports has its own language . Sports is something that can be used for bringing nations together from far and wide . Although it is one area that has the potential to influence society , unfortunately it still remains one playing field that has huge gender pay gaps , gender inequality and inequality in terms of representatives from the diverse population .
Addressing inequality in sports has become somewhat a talking shop , bringing about very few changes . In the United Kingdom , we have many agencies that have set up projects to tackle inequality in the world of sports . But what has happened is that this has now turned into a business venture with very little opportunity for partnership and collaborative working .
AGOPE – A GOAL OF PURE EQUALITY
Nick Nicolaou and I set up A Goal of Pure Equality to tackle inequality in football . Nick is from the financial world but has a real passion for football . He has enabled AGOPE to reach out wide to all sections of the community in the UK , including ex-footballers who have their own stories to tell . This was our brainchild and we both became partners of this new initiative when we found that countless projects that were being set up were not really addressing the underlying issue of discrimination on the playing field . Nick had a serious football injury with life threatening ramifications due to operation practices that ended his thirty years of playing the game . Equality in football was the obvious answer to keep his passion alive .
By Navrita Atwal , Chief Executive Milton Keynes Equality Council , England DyNAMC Advisor Board Member
INCIDENTS OF RACIAL ABUSE AND HATE CRIMES AIMED AT FANS ON MATCH DAYS AND PLAYERS FROM A BLACK ASIAN MINORITY ETHNIC ( BAME )
background still exist ; although awareness has certainly risen and tolerance much less than the games being played 20-30 years ago .
Despite approximately one third of players coming from a BAME background , only 3-4 % actually secure football management positions once their playing days are over . Such appointments are in most cases given to