AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth is delighted to announce that it has retained the Advanced Healthcheck Level of the Premier League Equality Diversity and Inclusion Standard (PLEDIS).
The club has been working towards the progressive levels of the PLEDIS since 2015 achieving the preliminary level in 2016, intermediate level in 2018 and advanced level in 2020.
The advanced level of the PLEDIS is ambitious in its aim to create club-wide change and covers all areas of a club’s activities. At the advanced level the focus is on club’s showing that they demonstrate impact through;
- Embedding EDI principles and practice
- Leading through people
- Showing progress and evaluating impact
- Continuously improving
To achieve the award, clubs are required to provide a submission that demonstrates how the club is meeting the standards. The club’s submission was considered by an independent assessor and the Premier League equality diversity and inclusion panel, which is made up of a panel of experts and chaired by Paul Cleal OBE.
The panel commended the development of our internal club campaigns focused around EDI; Everyone, Together, Hate Hurts Everyone and We Are Allies.
The campaigns are focused on tackling prejudice and promoting understanding and involve staff and supporters from across the club telling their powerful stories.
These campaigns have become well known amongst our supporter base over the past seasons. Our Award-winning Everyone, Together campaign really underpins the work we do within EDI, and sets out a concept by which we conduct this work; we want everyone who wants to be a part of our journey to have the opportunity to do so, without any barriers.
The club are proud to have the supporters and staff at the forefront of our EDI journey, with chief executive Neill Blake saying: "Our continued EDI progress and the PLEDIS process are intrinsically linked, with the standard providing a framework for us to develop and expand on our already evident commitment to ensuring a club-wide approach.
"We are especially proud of the responsibility our staff, but also our supporters, take to ensure our EDI vision is delivered, understanding that the EDI work we do is integral to the club’s future success and that we continue to strive for excellence in this respect, across everything we do."
Premier League Head of Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Kuljit Randhawa added: "We are delighted to have awarded AFC Bournemouth the Advanced Level Health Check of the Premier League Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard, recognising the club’s commitment to work towards a more inclusive environment for both fans and staff.
"AFC Bournemouth were commended by the PLEDIS panel of independent experts for their clear, whole club approach to equality, diversity and inclusion work and for implementing important planning and decision-making processes that will help ensure that long-term EDI targets can be met.
"We look forward to continuing to support AFC Bournemouth as they enhance their work in this space."
