To Drive Soccer Equality, Cofounder Leon Mann Wants The Football Black List To Go International

The Football Black List came into play 15 years ago when cofounders Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds decided to amplify Black excellence in English soccer—and it seems to be gaining traction with every event.

Since it began, the initiative has recognized and presented awards to Premier League and women’s soccer stars, but also to those working in executive, marketing, and media roles, to name a few, most recently at a bustling arts center in London, United Kingdom, last month.

This latter point is noteworthy. For all the Black talents excelling on the field worldwide, representation in soccer leadership roles pales in comparison, at least in the U.K. There being no Black coaches in England’s high-profile top flight is one such illustration. It also hints at why the idea revolves as much around changing the landscape as rejoicing.

Convinced that soccer’s professional façade does not accurately reflect its diverse talent, Mann is helping break down barriers. And to give the Black List more weight, he wants to spread the idea globally, branching first across the Atlantic and potentially tapping into other sports later on.

“Our ambition is to get to that point and build out internationally,” he told me in an interview. “I want to have the Black List in U.S. sports leagues, too. We’ve started those conversations.”

“In the Premier League, 43% of players are Black. At one point over a weekend this season, it was 52%—the first time the majority of players in the Premier League on the field were Black. Yet 0% of our head coaches are Black.

The picture is similar across Europe, with Antoine Kombouaré serving as the only first-team coach of color, at French side Nantes, in the continent’s elite soccer divisions.

Regarding management, there is higher representation in Major League Soccer. However, the association—like many—understands there is room for more diversity outright.

“You look at the disparity and have to be gravely concerned about under-representation in the board room and other areas of the sport,” Mann added, assessing the situation.

It’s a complex issue. Regarding players, the globalized transfer market generally facilitates diverse representation in any given team. As for management or other senior posts in native countries, there is more likely to be hiring from within.

Despite being a predominantly white country, the U.K. is multicultural, especially in the inner-city areas where many top-flight clubs are based. So, it’s reasonable to expect diversity within its institutions, whereas there may be more relative expectations in other nations and regions, depending on the demographics.

On diversity as a whole, it’s not just about making the grade, according to Mann. It’s about getting more candidates closer to soccer roles in the first place, which works both ways.

“The key word is access. That is access for decision-makers to the Black community. And access for the Black community to decision-makers,” he said. “It’s a two-way street. But it’s completely controlled by the clubs and authorities. So, we need to do more work as an industry to identify the incredible Black leaders.”

“Are we going to the top law firms to find Black lawyers to come on board? Are we going to the red-brick universities to identify second-year students who could go on to work in the industry with a pathway to becoming the next chief executives and board members?”

Yet, as much as the Black List and its partners can shake things up, seeing diverse boardrooms and committees may require more involvement from where the money is, as Mann suggests.

“It might take external pressures like broadcasters, and advertisers who feed them, to get involved. We might need that if clubs don’t wake up and smell the coffee. I’m hopeful that wouldn’t be necessary because it’s quite an aggressive move.

“However, it shouldn’t be off the table. Broadcasters fund the game in this country. We need fewer adverts and more advertisers using the power they have.”

In the meantime, expanding the Black List and partnering with other leagues—perhaps MLS next—and teams is a natural step. While renowned soccer competitions attaching themselves to brands and projects is nothing new, they add an official edge. Globalize that, and there is a potential ripple effect.