Everton Football Club has become the first and only football club to participate in the Social Mobility Employer Index further cementing a commitment to inclusivity.
Now in its fifth year the Social Mobility Index is regarded as the benchmark for ranking British employers and the social mobility actions they are taking.
The aim of the Index is to encourage firms to share their initiatives on how to become more inclusive employers and to reveal which sectors and companies are taking the issue of social mobility most seriously.
As the first and only club to participate in the index, Everton has not only achieved another milestone in ‘The Everton Family’ ethos, but also aims to encourage other clubs and sporting organisations to follow suit and move towards improving social mobility both within the local area and wider sports industry.
Director of People, Culture and Workplace Wellbeing at Everton Football Club, Kim Healey said:
“We are incredibly proud to participate in the Social Mobility Employer Index – a statement which proves our intention to better understand our local communities, to remove barriers which prevent people from realising their potential and to develop social mobility policies that enable people to thrive.
“Everton is an inclusive place to work. We want the best talent to join our Club and become successful and visible role models. Our senior leaders drive our aims for inclusivity from the top, ensuring that they are accountable for the Club’s social mobility progress and development.”
In 2016, Everton became only the second Premier League club to sign the Living Wage Foundation pledge to pay the real Living Wage.
Equal Opportunities remains at the heart of the Everton recruitment policy. The Club employs Talent Acquisition People Partners who ensure equality of opportunity throughout the recruitment process and job applicants are not asked about health or disability before job offers are made.
To ensure it attracts a wide range of people, the recruitment focus of the Club is capability, attitude, and behaviours in addition to knowledge, experience, skills, and qualifications. This also helps to break down barriers at the initial application stage.
Research compiled by the Social Mobility Commission in 2017 ranked all local authorities across England based on social mobility criteria. This included education and employment opportunities.
Of the six authorities which make up Liverpool City Region (Knowsley, Sefton, Liverpool, Wirral, Halton, and St Helens) The Social Mobility Index ranked Liverpool 274 and highlighted the city’s sub-regions as containing some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England.
The charity arm of Everton Football Club, Everton in the Community operates a wide range of support programmes, such as Blue Family and Home Is Where the Heart Is, which harness the energy, enthusiasm, and commitment of a wide range of people, empowering them to effect positive social change and reach into some of the most challenging and hard-to-reach groups across Merseyside.
“It is through strong community relationships and investing in our educational, skills and training programmes that we can improve social mobility in our local areas.
“We look forward to taking great strides in this area, with support and guidance from The Social Mobility Foundation and to welcome the next wave of young creatives and critical thinkers from all backgrounds who will shape Everton Football Club.”