Youth Sport Trust and Sporting Equals devise BAME leadership programme

Several black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) youths will become responsible for their peers’ physical activity offer as part of an initiative to foster a generation of diverse sport leaders.

Youth Sport Trust has partnered with Sporting Equals to launch the Future Sport Leaders programme, which aims to increase the number of 15-18 year-olds from a BAME background becoming decision-makers within their local schools and communities.

A long-term ambition for the initiative is to try and address the shocking lack of BAME individuals in influential sports administration roles.

During an event hosted by Sporting Equals yesterday (22 November), it was revealed that of the 68 national governing bodies (NGBs) that submitted data to its LeaderBoard study, 61 had no BAME leadership representation (90 per cent).

Throughout the event many speakers and contributions from the audience lamented the lack of a “pipeline” of young diverse individuals either giving serious consideration to sports administration or being seriously considered for roles.

In addition, Youth Sport Trust and Sporting Equals will host a Future Sport Leaders conference in Manchester on 10 February, giving young people the opportunity to be part of interactive workshops.

Olympic sprint champion Jason Gardner will be among the keynote speakers at the conference.

Young people interested in applying for the scheme can apply until 30 December 2016.

Alison Oliver, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said the organisation wanted to “increase equality” in PE and school sport.

“Our ambition is to heighten the voice of diverse young people, build an appetite to lead and over time address some of the under-representation we see in the governance and leadership of sport in their country,” she added.

Sporting Equals chief executive Arun Kang said: “Supporting the Future Leaders Project ensures that, in the long-term, BAME leaders in sport will organically grow in numbers in the sport sector and working on projects such as this will empower BAME young people, who are passionate about sport, to be prepared to lead in the future.”