Minority Football Coaches Underrepresented In U.K., Sports Person's Think Tank Finds

A report by the Sports Person's Think Tank has found that there are "only 19 black and ethnic minority coaches in the 552 'top' coaching positions at professional English clubs," according to Richard Conway of the BBC. BME coaches take up 3.4% of those positions "despite at least 25% of players coming from BME backgrounds." U.K. Sports Minister Helen Grant said the findings are "appalling and worrying." Grant: "It's going to take a concerted effort by everyone in football to get the sea change that we need." The report was carried out by Dr. Stephen Bradbury at Loughborough University, and examined "what it took to be the top six coaching and management positions at all 92 professional football clubs in the English leagues." The study, funded by Football Against Racism in Europe, said that "institutional discrimination" is present within the English leagues (BBC, 11/10).