Leading the Way?
Examining ethnic diversity and inclusion in the senior leadership workforce in sports and promoting sector wide change
In January 2025, Dr Steven Bradbury and colleagues at Loughborough University launched the ‘Leading the Way?’ report: an innovative and insightful study of ethnic diversity and inclusion in the senior leadership workforce at 18 sports bodies, including 9 NGB’s. The study examined the representation levels, benefits and challenges to establishing an ethnically diverse senior leadership workforce, and identified some emerging models of good ‘race’ equity practice at sports bodies.
Importantly, the report offers extensive actionable recommendations to increase the representation of ethnically diverse groups and establish racially inclusive structures, practices and cultures in senior leadership settings. These recommendations have strong applicability to sports bodies and the sports sector more broadly in outlining a clear vision and pathway for transformational change. In particular, in support of the work of Sporting Equals to enable system partners to embed ‘race’ equity as a core feature of operational activities and to deliver on the UK Sports Councils commitment to ‘Tackling Racisms and Racial Inequalities in Sport’ (TRARIIS).
A full account of the findings and recommendations featured in the ‘Leading the Way?’ report, as well as other useful resources including a podcast discussion with the lead author, Dr Steven Bradbury, can be accessed at https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/leading-the-way/.
Key headline findings from the report include:
Representation
Ethnically diverse groups remain under-represented in the senior leadership workforce at sports bodies at Board level (17.6%), and (especially) at Senior Leadership Team (8.1%) level. More than one-half of sports bodies in the study had no ethnically diverse representation at SLT level.
Good ‘race’ equity practice
Good ‘race’ equity practice was enabled where there existed a clear strategic commitment to increase ethnic diversity and inclusion, a conceptual shift in thinking from ‘race’ equality to ‘race’ equity, and the operationalisation of positive action measures to address racialised inequities in senior leadership. This included: establishing ‘race’ equitable practices of selection and recruitment, supporting the vocational development of ethnically diverse aspiring leaders, and educating senior decision makers on ‘race’ equity and inclusion.
Challenges
Key challenges to establishing an ethnically diverse senior leadership workforce existed in three key areas of operational practice at sports bodies. This included: organisational structures and pathways to selection and recruitment, organisational cultures and uneven experiences of inclusivity, and a lack of organisational focus, allocation of resource, and knowledge of racialised barriers to progression.
Benefits
Key benefits of an ethnically diverse senior leadership workforce were informed by the demographic lived experiences and related cognitive diversity of ethnically diverse senior leaders. This included: enhanced insights and improved operational functioning, a more culturally reflexive approach to policy and practice, and the increased appeal and marketability of sports bodies to participants, public bodies and commercial sponsors.
Recommendations
The report recommendations are designed to enable sports bodies and the sports sector more broadly to translate strategic commitments towards ‘race’ equity into meaningful operationalised practice. In particular, through the use targeted policy interventions and ‘race’ specific positive action measures. The recommendations are categorised into four key themes.
Establishing a holistic, multi-levelled and transformational approach to ‘race’ equity
Establishing ‘race’ equitable processes and practices of selection and recruitment
Enabling the development and career progression of ethnically diverse senior leaders
Educating and increasing the cultural competence of key stakeholders in sports
