Former Manchester City – defender Joleon Lescott believes that black or ethnic minority coaches do not have enough second chances in English after first failures – which in turn keep players from going into management.
There are currently only three black managers in the top five competitions of English football, with only two clubs that start the campaign with a Bame head coach.
It shows that there has been a downward trend of diversity in management within clubs from 92. In the 2021-22 campaign, eight clubs started the season with black managers with the number of falling year.
One of the alarming statistics that came to light discovered by the Black Footballers Partnership in 2023, revealed that only four percent of managers in the English football competitions were black, despite 34 percent of the players who were black.
Lescott, who won the Premier League with City in 2012, initially decided to coach after a pension from the professional competition in 2017. The former Defender held countless roles within the FA and was in Lee Carsley's back room staff during his Stint as interim manager of England after the exit of Gareth Sughgate.
However, the former international English international is not fully convinced that he wants to continue the path of coaching within the professional game. And Lescott, 42, believes that black players are put off a career in coaching due to the lack of opportunities.
“There are a number of things,” Lesscott tells Mail Sport. 'The lack of patience within the game, which not only goes for owners and sporting directors, but also coaches and players. I think everyone wants it now.
'The biggest thing for me is that I think that not enough diverse coaches get the chance to fail again and again. There is a history of coaches who get those opportunities to fail and next time to get a similar job and to fail again.
'Speaking of friends I know, one is Paul Ince, and another like Sol Campbell, they have not had the opportunity not to succeed and then [get to] Try it again. It's a bit of failure, and that's it. That is the end of the road.
'If everyone is doing well and everyone is successful, it is easy to implement diversity and to give everyone equal opportunities. But it is a case when it did not go to plan, is someone willing to give that person the same chance to fail again?
'That does it [put players off]100 percent. That is why many former players have not chosen to follow that route. They know they don't get the same opportunities. They are aware of that. '
In November, Mail Sport exclusively revealed that the FA wants to ensure that 25 percent of England's coaching staff for men black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic background is by 2028.
According to the report, the figure is currently 19 percent and the England administrative body has a 'stretch target' of 30 percent.
Lescott, which is part of the Placement Program of the FA -Elite Coaching – started a schedule in 2018 to stimulate the diversity under coaching staff – has recognized that although there is a lot of work to do, his current work will help generations of his time.
“I don't think I'm going to see it in the neighborhood that it should be close to what it should be in my generation, maybe my children ' [too]'Lesscott continues. 'But I am aware that my small contribution is trying to have an impact is important for the next phase, such as for the generations for me.
'They simply sacrificed their careers after playing to have an impact for me to be able to talk about it, let alone to get a job. I know my generation may not benefit, but there is one that is. If we have played a role in that, great. '
The 42-year-old is also a fun football ambassador from McDonald. Last week Lesscott participated in the annual Coaching Development Day of the organization to collaborate with coaches to offer accessible sessions for children with different backgrounds.
“Days as these are so important for the entire coaching community,” adds Lescott, who spoke from St. George's Park. 'You always have to learn and there is no one else like McDonald's who offers this kind of coaching education.
'As a coach we have to insist on more accessibility for football and help to break down barriers. There were more than 80 coaches here today and they will now be better placed to welcome every child on the football field, regardless of their background or ability. '
Joleon Lescott supported McDonald's Fun Football's Coaching -qualifying partnership with Kick It Out, UK DEAF Sport and Access Sport to make fun football, the most inclusive Grassroots program in the UK.
Comments