2022 Diversity and Belonging Report & Race Representation Index published

England Netball is today publishing our 2021-22 Diversity and Belonging Report as part of our ongoing commitment to not only diversify our sport but to embed a culture of belonging at every level of the game. The first Diversity and Belonging report was published in September 2021 and documented England Netball’s findings and the start of the change, as well as informing the 10-year Adventure Strategy. The report is being published alongside Sporting Equals’ 2023 Race Representation Index (RRI). The index provides an important baseline barometer to score publicly funded National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of sport against progress with the equality agenda, with a particular lens on ethnic diversity and representation. The study seeks to understand the state of ethnically diverse representation within the NGBs in the sport sector. It evaluates data submitted across four distinct criteria:

Board
Senior Leadership/Management Teams
Senior Coaches
Players/Athletes

Out of the 55 NGBs that responded, only 29%, including England Netball, scored A-C. You can see the full report here, with a breakdown of our scores and against other sports. While there is still more work to be done, this index provides a good foundation to build on moving forwards.

“The RRI does not collate data of the full workforce. It is intended to collect data on the decision makers within NGBs. Those that decide strategy, budget, interventions and select who enters the talent pathways.” - Arun Kang OBE, CEO Sporting Equals

Diversity and Belonging Report

The latest report provides a review of affirmative action taken over the last year to celebrate, educate and embed inclusive procedures, and also highlights the current position and landscape, including key findings from the Big Netball Conversation around inclusivity. Key highlights from the report:

Ethnicity has increased for members, participants, staff and the board between 2020/2021 and 2021/2022
83% of the Netball Family said that their netball community was inclusive. 70% say the same of EN.
Groups least likely to consistently agree with any statement about belonging are people from Black and Asian communities and men.

To enable England Netball to continue to embed a culture of diversity and belonging within the sport, a new staff role has been recruited to continue to drive this area forward. Discussing England Netball’s work to date, Diversity and Belonging Business Partner Danielle Hogan said: “Whilst a lot of work has been implemented in this space over the past year, we recognise that this is ongoing, and we want to continue to challenge ourselves to keep learning and growing as an organisation. “The importance of creating an inclusive culture where everybody in our existing Netball Family feels like they belong and a place where new audiences feel welcome is critical to our success. “We are currently developing our plans for the future to ensure that we represent the communities that we live, work and play in. “As we grow, we will continue to work with and educate those closest to us to ensure that the culture at England Netball and the wider Netball Family is one that promotes Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging across the whole spectrum of netball from grassroots to our Vitality Roses and beyond.” The 2021-22 Diversity and Belonging Report can be read here.