Arsenal for Everyone
Arsenal for Everyone
The 2007/2008 season saw the official launch of the ‘Arsenal for Everyone’ initiative, which aims to celebrate diversity in all forms here at the Club.
The initiative was set up as part of the Club’s work towards achieving the intermediate level of the ‘Racial Equality Standard’ in conjunction with ‘Kick It Out’ (the Club initially received the preliminary level of the RES back in March 2006).
A decision was taken at Arsenal to shift the focus from ‘Anti Racism’ specifically to a theme of general diversity. On the day various visual activities promoted the initiative — even Gunnersaurus showed his support for the scheme by donning an ‘AFE’ t-shirt!
A tannoy announcement to advise all supporters about the project took place and at selected periods before kick off and at half time, the pitchside LED boards displayed the message ‘Arsenal for Everyone’ in the eight most widely spoken languages across the world.
Equal Opportunities Policy
Arsenal Football Club is committed to confront and eliminate discrimination, whether by reason of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability or gender reassignment.
Arsenal Football Club is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to act in a manner which ensures that our staff are able to achieve their full potential. We also aim to ensure that all employment decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant or discriminatory criteria.
Equality of opportunity means that in none of its activities will the Club discriminate against, or in any way treat less favourably, any person on grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability or gender reassignment. This policy will be applicable to:
- the advertisement of jobs
- the selection of candidates for employment or promotion
- job location or working environment
- pay and employment terms and conditions
- internal training and development activities
- internal and external coaching and education activities and awards
- football development activities
The Club will not tolerate sexual or racially based harassment, or other discriminatory behaviour, whether physical or verbal. The Chief Executive Officer will ensure that such behaviour is met with appropriate disciplinary action whenever it occurs.
The Club supports the bodies of the Football Association and UEFA in their commitment to develop a programme of ongoing training and awareness raising events and activities in order to promote the eradication of discrimination within football.
Arsenal Against Racism
At Arsenal, we are committed to providing a football club that is truly accessible to supporters from all walks of life. We have players, directors, staff and millions of supporters who come from countries all over the world and have widely differing religious beliefs and political views. This is something that we are very proud of and that we positively encourage.
Kicking Racism out of Football
We are great supporters of the 'Kick It Out' campaign which is a campaign aiming to raise awareness of the ongoing problem of racism in football. Some examples of the support that the club has given to the campaign over recent seasons are demonstrated in the pictures below. For further details about the 'Kick it Out' scheme, please click here www.kickitout.org.
Another scheme which receives the full support of the club is the 'Show Racism the Red Card' initiative. You can find out more about this campaign by visiting their website at www.TheRedCard.org.
Working with the Community
For over 20 years now, our Community Department, led by our Head of Community Alan Sefton, has been working hard to remove any barriers to the enjoyment of football by all.
'Arsenal and Maimonides' is a key project which promotes relations between Jews and Muslims through football. Sessions are held in London for children and volunteer coaches from both communities as part of a project that has also seen the club send representatives to conduct similar sessions in Israel.
The club has also sent coaching representatives to other disadvantaged communities across the world - the aim being to leave the communities with a coaching infrastructure that will be of benefit to local people long after our coaches have returned home. In recent seasons Alan's team have coached in the townships of South Africa, communities in the Ukraine still trying to recover from the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster of 1986 and in a civil war torn Nigeria, amongst other places.
At Emirates Stadium
At Arsenal we employ in excess of 700 stewards on a matchday and one of their primary roles is to monitor supporters language. Any so called supporter who persists in using racist language, which constitutes a criminal offence, faces being ejected and banned from the stadium. Every match day programme carries a warning about foul language and racist chanting and, if the situation dictates, we make extra announcements over our tannoy system as well as including extra reminders and warnings in our club publications.
The UEFA 10-Point Plan
UEFA have a 10 point plan that they want all European clubs to adopt in an attempt to eradicate racism in football. We are totally supportive of this plan and we believe that at Arsenal we already adhere to its principles through our current practices.
- Issue a statement saying the club will not tolerate racism, spelling out the action it will take against those engaged in racist chanting. The statement should be printed in all match programmes and displayed permanently and prominently around the ground.
- Make public address announcements condemning racist chanting at matches.
- Make it a condition for season-ticket holders that they do not take part in racist abuse.
- Take action to prevent the sale of racist literature inside and around the ground.
- Take disciplinary action against players who engage in racial abuse.
- Contact other clubs to make sure they understand the club's policy on racism.
- Encourage a common strategy between stewards and police for dealing with racist abuse.
- Remove all racist graffiti from the ground as a matter of urgency.
- Adopt an equal opportunities' policy in relation to employment and service provision.
- Work with all other groups and agencies, such as the players union, supporters, schools, voluntary organisations, youth clubs, sponsors, local authorities, local businesses and police, to develop pro-active programmes and make progress to raise awareness of campaigning to eliminate racial abuse and discrimination
Arsenal awarded Intermediate level of racial equality standard.
Print this page Email to a friend
