English football authorities warned they are failing the game - 'It is not about tokenism, there's talent out there'

Walk into almost any football boardroom and the picture is the same: rows of white faces making decisions for a sport played predominantly by men who look nothing like them.

Wayne Allison has spent 40 years in English football - first as a player with the likes of Huddersfield Town, Bristol City, Swindon Town, Sheffield United, Chesterfield and then coached at various clubs in the EFL. And now as one of its most qualified administrators.

He has watched that disconnect quietly grow into something the game can no longer ignore.

He is, by any measure, exceptional. A PhD, the UEFA Pro Licence, published author and he studied with the London School of Economics, but the journey started when the PFA funded an under graduate degree in Sports Science, whilst as a player with Tranmere Rovers. He has since held senior leadership roles at the Football Association ( The FA ) the League Managers’ Association (LMA) and now the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), where he serves as Coaching Director.

He also represents UEFA as a Technical Observer, and at 57, Dr Wayne Allison is arguably the most credentialed former professional footballer working within a senior position in the English professional game today. He is also one of the only people of colour doing so at this level and that, he argues, is not an accident.

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“English football as a collective has a responsibility,” Allison says. And, from his own experience, he sets about explaining with telling insight and sharp observations.

“The contrast in football is stark: there is huge diversity on the pitch and yet very few opportunities for non-white faces in boardrooms, senior roles at clubs or among the game’s major stakeholders.

“Football is trying to address the issue but, while former players can move into the media or coaching, there are fewer jobs as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Football Officer (CFO), Technical Directors (TD) or within the game itself.”

Even worse, the lack of diversity within senior roles at clubs often means football shareholders’ meetings are made up of entirely white faces sitting round making decisions for players who could not be more detached from their world . It is something Allison is acutely aware of but the bright, intelligent and eloquent Yorkshireman believes there is an even bigger issue which football needs to grasp.

“You have to align governance, performance culture and also inclusive pathways and improve better outcomes for the teams,” he says. “But ultimately, it is about the communities we serve. If football does not reflect the players on the pitch, the communities or the fans then how can they say they understand or represent the wider issues?

“You should not have players on the pitch who look up at the directors in the stadium and say: ‘where are we?’ Equally, the fans in the stadium should be asking questions: ‘where is the representation in the clubs?’

“It is similar to managing and coaching. It is not about tokenism. We have got to understand that. This is about aligning the leadership team with the people they actually represent from the players on the pitch to the communities they serve.

“There is talent available across ethnically diverse groups, there are a lot of capable people. We all know that and I’ve seen that at first hand. There’s talent out there, it’s about the pathway into these roles. Senior roles seem to elude certain people. We need to keep pace with the game.”

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You can get a job within football - but there is a ceiling. Especially, it seems, for non-white former players.

Maheta Molango is chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association and is brilliant at what he does because of his capabilities, and he is more representative of the players on the pitch. More former players have tried to move into television and become media pundits because there is a greater diversity.

Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham and Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada are rare non-white faces in a Premier League boardroom. The FA, LMA and PGMO all recognised Allison’s quality and talent but the game needs more voices like him. That much is obvious.

It is obvious that the PGMO - where he is coaching director - is making strides with more diverse referees, female officials and also encouraging women into the set-up. They can boast going up over four times to 21 per cent in recent years. One fifth of its officials which is a major step.

Allison is one of literally a handful of diverse appointments in senior positions among football’s stakeholders or clubs.

He held various coaching positions at several EFL clubs but admits it was “volatile” at one and wanted more of a challenge, the opportunity to develop his skills and to play his part in trying to change the shape of football.

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“It has been well documented about the lack of ethnic diversity in coaching and management positions within the English game, the fact that all the talk of a lack of black managers but it’s no better, if not worse the higher you go. The rate of change has to improve,” he said.

“Everyone needs to do more and do their bit – so perhaps where possible, when black managers are appointed, they could consider hiring capable and qualified black coaches into their coaching staff, only if they would add value, otherwise, it’ll be counterproductive. This would assist in addressing the lack of opportunities afforded aspiring black coaches in the professional game.”

Reflecting on his previous and current roles, Allison is particularly grateful to LMA chief executive Richard Bevan and the PGMO is a challenge he is enjoying and says “I have been very fortunate to work at The FA.

“I enjoyed my time at the LMA and am very lucky to work with some great people in the PGMO. Diversity on the pitch has never been in doubt. It is the offices, the boardrooms and the technical departments above it where the game has failed to keep pace.

“I know first-hand that other sports boards are more representative of their athletes, through my role as a non-executive director in the sporting sector. The board make-up had complete diversity in age, gender, ethnicity and thought, so in many respects, football, which so often leads the way, is playing catch-up.”

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Allison is not bitter. He is too measured for that, and aware that his hard work has been rewarded. But he is clear-eyed about what his own career represents: not just personal achievement, but a proof of concept the game has been too slow to replicate.

The talent exists. The capability exists. Why do so many senior roles continue to elude so many qualified under-represented people?

Wayne Allison has spent a career building the credentials to earn his seat at the table. The question now is not whether people like him deserve to be there. It is why there are not far more of them, and who, finally, is going to do something about it.

“We’ve got to find out the root cause in order to address it and that’s the only way we can move forward positively into the future.”

Football has the tools. They have the evidence. What they need is ambition and greater desire to change.