The Business of Sport - Jamie Dapaah

Jamie Dapaah is Fulham Football Club's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Co-ordinator. He joined the club in May 2020 in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, transitioning from a coaching background. Jamie requested to speak with someone at the Club about how he could help support the campaign against discrimination, racism and prejudice. He has since been instrumental in leading club initiatives and championing the on-going culture of equality and inclusion across all Fulham's business operations.

A diversity and inclusion practitioner who seeks to create and implement strategies and policies that promote equal opportunities and create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone involved in football, including players, fans, coaches, staff, and volunteers.

A strong leader who advocates for diversity and inclusion initiatives and gains buy-in from employees, leadership, and other stakeholders.

Jamie Dapaah on his introduction to EDI: "For me, working within the Foundation on our local community programmes at the time, when George Floyd had passed, it was a time when businesses around the world really looked internally as to how they could progress and almost lead on the Equality, Diversity and inclusion front. So for me, as an employee within the Fulham Foundation, it was really important for me to be involved and engaging in a workforce that was representative of my values. So it was almost, how can I help, how can I use the agenda we already have as a football club, to inspire and galvanise the next generation of leaders as well as the local community leaders, who we engage with on a day-to-day basis."

Jamie Dapaah on Gender Equality within EDI: "It's an absolutely crucial area, not only for female representation in the workforce, but also using an educational element to inspire and galvanise women and girls who aspire to be within the footballing world. We have a female working group and we meet with our female supporter group to see how we can amplify the messaging of inclusion and inspire the next generation. But looking at policy as well and how we can ensure our policies within the workforce is reflective of those we have within it and listening to our staff members as to how we can progress."

Jamie Dapaah on the current state of racism in football: "I think education is key. I think displaying positive behaviours is key. In terms of where we are at, the conversation has been brought to the table now around EDI, but now we have to start acting and ensuring that we have a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination on a matchday or in real-time as well. Online abuse has been huge, and the messages we put out as a football club, need to be representative of our values."