Stormzy and adidas have partnered with brands including Sky Sports, Manchester United, Fulham, and LADBible, to launch Merky FC – an initiative committed to “diversifying representation in the football industry”.
The careers programme, launching January 2023, will offer opportunities and paid placements to young Black people aged between 18 to 24, in a bid to improve diversity in off-pitch roles.
News of the initiative comes after figures showed just 6.7% of senior roles in football are held by black or mixed heritage people, a statistic of which the British recording artist calls “embarrassing”.
“The statistics are shocking. I think it’s down to visibility a lot. Even growing up we didn’t see any black managers, black people on our screens in the media.” The ‘Hide & Seek’ rapper said in a press release. “So I think when Ian Wright comes along, Thierry Henry comes along, we know we can kick ball – we’ve always known we can kick ball – but in terms of the roles and the other positions in the industry we don’t see our representation, and representation is important – when you can’t see it, it’s not always easy to believe it.”
“If you can see representation on the pitch with all the players, then it should at least be backed up by people in positions of power, positions of influence outside of being an actual footballer. Hopefully with what we’re doing we can drive a change.”
Find out more at merkyfc.com.
