The Isle of Man Football Association has published the findings of its Diversity & Inclusion survey, which was conducted earlier this year.

The issue of racism in football in the UK has recently become more high profile and this has highlighted that racism in football persists, leading to many well-known footballers speaking out.

At the Isle of Man FA, we support the principle of football being a game for all, regardless of age, sex, gender, disability, marital and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, religion, race or sexual orientation.

As few racist incidents are reported, it would be easy to assume there is no problem in IOM football, so with the help of local footballer Furo Davies, the IOMFA decided to address the issue.

Although this was a fact-finding exercise, our core objectives were to find out the following:
• Is racism a problem in IOM football?
• Do people find IOM football a welcoming place, regardless of ethnicity?
• What could the IOMFA be doing to improve this?

The scope of this campaign was specifically to address the issue of ethnic diversity. However, other areas of equality and inclusion are important and are being addressed as part of the FA’s Equality Standard.

We are grateful to all the players, parents, referees, coaches and others for giving their views and especially to those who shared their personal experiences.