It has pledged an additional £1 million investment over the next year in a mix of cash and Value in Kind support

Sky and Kick it Out - partnership extension

Sky is extending its partnership with anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out, pledging an additional £1 million investment over the next year in a mix of cash and Value in Kind support.

The extended partnership between Sky and Kick It Out will help create additional educational content for clubs and fans, and boost annual transparency and insight reports on a range of issues relating to diversity, discrimination, and inclusion in sport.

Funded through Sky’s £30 million commitment to tackle structural inequality, the initiative has supported several projects crucial to driving inclusion in football and to tackling discrimination. This has included The Edit, a digital and media literacy skills programme for young people across the UK & Ireland in collaboration with Adobe which reached over 40,000 students from 646 schools.

Kick It Out has also created a digital learning platform, The Academy, which has provided more than 1,000 stakeholders across football with educational content on equality, diversity and inclusivity.

The scheme has also created a scholarship programme with the University of Liverpool Management School for students from black and minority ethnic backgrounds to gain an MBA in Football Industries.

Stephen van Rooyen, UK & Ireland CEO and chief commercial officer, Sky Group said: “Sky is football’s biggest partner in the UK which means we have a responsibility in helping the clubs, players, fans, and industry become more inclusive. Extending our partnership with Kick It Out for another year means that we will be able to develop new initiatives aimed at addressing discrimination in sports and continue to deliver campaigns that make a difference.”

Tony Burnett, CEO of Kick It Out, added: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Sky in our 30th anniversary year and hope to build on the work already achieved which has enabled us to provide underrepresented groups with educational opportunities, support minority communities to make a career in the sports industry and establish a valuable platform to drive inclusion.”