Kick It Out agrees landmark £3m deal with Sky Sports to boost campaign to end racism in football

Anti-racism group Kick It Out will receive £3m in funding from Sky Sports over the next three years to help fight discrimination within football in what is a landmark deal for the organisation.

Sky will become Kick It Out’s official media partner, with the funding made up of “a mix of cash and value in kind support” until 2024 to help with education initiatives, the reporting of discrimination and increased support on their current television and online platforms.

Kick It Out has been at the forefront of the fight to eradicate racism from football for the last 27 years since its creation in 1993, and the agreement follows a year in which racial inclusivity and equality has risen to the fore with the sport’s support of the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari said: "We are absolutely delighted to have Sky on board as the first new strategic partner, as part of our new vision to be a galvanising hub for inclusive change in football.

"We share the same ambition to bring football together and make it a game where everyone feels that they belong. This is an enormously exciting partnership. We look forward to working together to deliver real change in the game we all love."

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Stephen van Rooyen, EVP & CEO UK & Europe Sky said: "Our view at Sky is that there is absolutely no place for any kind of discrimination or racism in sport.

"As football's biggest partner in the UK, we want to drive change and make the national game more inclusive and truly representative of the whole country. It's time for us to do more - and we will. We are all in - to kick it out."

Premier League players have taken a knee before every match since football restarted in June this year, following the killing of African-American George Floyd while in police custody in the United States in May. The subsequent support of racial equality quickly spread across football, with players and clubs uniting to show their support for the campaign and stress there is no room for racism within the sport.

Last week, professional footballers voted overwhelmingly in favour of continuing to take the knee before matches, in response to a recent backlash from small pockets of supporters at some games.

With Sky on board, new initiatives will be launched to make it easier to report incidents of racism both online and inside football stadia, and annual transparency and insight reports will be published to increase awareness of diversity, discrimination and inclusion issues.

The move is a further sign of Sky’s commitment to tackling racism, having recently partnered with the organisation for the #takeastand campaign that was launched during England’s Nations League match against Belgium in October. The broadcaster has also carried anti-racism messaging on its 24/7 news channel since the summer.

Many have asked this year how racism can be combatted, particularly on social media where discriminatory messages from anonymous accounts are a regular occurrence for Premier League footballers. Former professional footballer and current Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison believes the answer lies in educating people from a younger age at grassroots level, with a belief that the new agreement will only increase the positive results from such initiatives.

"Kick It Out have been brilliant for years, getting this investment will only help the players. It's superb to team up together," Morrison said.

"Social media is massive, fans within the ground as well. How do you deal with racism in the terraces? It can help with grassroots education, going into schools and teaching what is right and wrong. When I was growing up it was different, we used to accept things that we now know need changing.

"We are taking baby steps, it will take time. It might be for my kids, or grandkids, but things like this are positive. Sky has a huge platform and everyone is pushing for the right direction. This partnership will help make change. I can only give huge credit to Sky."