Ethnic minority coaches in elite football in England: 2017 update: A report from the Sport People’s Think Tank in association with the Fare network and the Loughborough University

This is the fourth year the SPTT and Fare have worked with Loughborough University to present data on the number of ethnic minority coaches in English football. Over that period the figures have remained largely static and continue to present a pessimistic picture. At the beginning of this season the number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) coaches employed in senior positions in professional football was 4.6% and the number of BAME first team coaches is 3.3%. Many people in the game, and those observing from outside, cannot understand why a sport in which up to 30% of professional players are ethnic minorities has only 3.3% of managers and head coaches from similar backgrounds.