Football Association Chairman Greg Dyke has offered his support to the On Board campaign – which aims to help equip black and Asian former players with the skills to sit on football boards.
The FA and the PFA have joined forces to ensure players get the best possible opportunities with the ongoing support, and is an important part of English Football’s Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Action Plan.
Dyke lent his own personal support by dropping in on the second year students at St. George's Park last month.
Following on from the success of its inaugural year, where beneficiaries included Iffy Onura and Les Ferdinand, who shadowed the FA and Wembley boards respectively, this year’s crop include former Wimbledon, Watford and Jamaica international, Marcus Gayle, and former Chelsea and Southampton centre-back, Ken Monkou.
Brighton & Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton
This year's group, made up of current and former players from all backgrounds, includes Brighton & Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton, former England defender Ugo Ehiogu, and ex-Derby and Portsmouth midfielder Darryl Powell.
They heard from Dyke on his boardroom experiences and his journey which has ultimately taken him to his current status as FA chair.
One student, Walsall defender Ben Purkiss, called the session ‘insightful and informative’.
“The importance of good governance was repeatedly stressed,” said Purkiss, who will be part of the Saddlers’ historic first trip to Wembley next month for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.
“Greg has extensive and wide-ranging commercial experience and was keen to emphasise the value of investing time in whatever organisation you represent. In order to govern effectively it is imperative that the director fully understands the requirements of a company and develops an understanding of the company’s aims and objectives. Crucially, not all board members that Greg has encountered had governance training and subsequently lacked familiarity with good governance standards.
“With one of the aims of the On The Board programme being to increase diversity in the boardroom, the support of the national governing body is highly significant. Along with his commitment to good governance practice, Greg reiterated his desire to ensure the FA is more representative of society and hopefully we will see graduates of the course progress to roles within the organisation.”
To find out more about the On Board programme, visit www.thegovernanceforum.com
