We are looking for a committed and passionate candidate with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to help drive English football’s inclusion and anti-discrimination agenda forward as Chair of our Inclusion Advisory Group (IAG), also forming part of our Board of Directors.

Dedicated volunteers with the appropriate skills to help make local grassroots football more inclusive are encouraged to come forward with applications by Sunday 28th April. The IAG is a crucial part of our drive to encourage more participation from disability, female, ethnicity, faith and LGBTQ+ communities.

We are one of the largest County FAs in the country for football participation, with more than 5,000 teams playing football. The #MovingForward Strategy outlines our strategic direction over the coming years in “Creating a united grassroots football environment which delivers football opportunity For All.”  Alongside this, their Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2024 was recently released to highlight their commitments to furthering inclusion across the game.

In 2021, we achieved ‘Intermediate Level’ of the Equality Standard for Sport, and we continue to work towards addressing key issues and challenges which exist within the county. Our Inclusion Advisory Group aims to provide advice and guidance on all equality matters and to provide oversight on the delivery of their operations plan in a countywide, inclusive way which includes all sections of the community.

We’re currently looking to recruit an independent Chair who will lead the IAG to support the organisation, and the successful candidate will also be recruited as an independent member of the Essex County FA Board. They’ll have significant knowledge and experience of operating at a strategic level, in either the public or private sector, and will, equally, bring a breadth and depth of knowledge or experience in equality matters.

Essex County FA Football Development Officer, Milly Morgan, explained: “Football is the most popular sport in the UK, and we’re delivering great experiences across Essex. Whether you’re a life-long football enthusiast, player, volunteer, coach or corporate professional looking to volunteer your expertise, we’re committed to creating a group of diverse skills, experience and backgrounds which can add value to the game.”

An open application process is currently taking place to attract and recruit the best person for this voluntary role. In the Application Pack below, you will find details of the skills and experience we're looking for, our organisational values and the process for applying. If you have any questions, please E-Mail milly.morgan@essexfa.com. You can also interact with us on Twitter/X (@EssexCountyFA) and Facebook (EssexFootball).

We are committed to equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from all sections of the community.