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Greg Dyke says FA ‘blazers’ are too old, white and in danger of irrelevance Greg Dyke says FA ‘blazers’ are too old, white and in danger of irrelevance
(about 1 hour later)
Greg Dyke has described the Football Association’s decision-makers as being old, white, male, in danger of becoming irrelevant and in urgent need of reform. The chairman of the FA’s board and its council, the sprawling body that contains more than 100 representatives of the English game at all levels, pulled no punches in his address to the Supporters Summit, held at Wembley on Saturday. Greg Dyke has described the Football Association’s decision-makers as being old, white, male, in danger of becoming irrelevant and in urgent need of reform. The chairman of the FA’s board and its council, the sprawling body that contains more than 100 representatives of the English game at all levels, pulled no punches in his address to the Supporters Summit, held at Wembley on Saturday. It echoed his remarks about the BBC in 2001, when, as director-general, he memorably described it as “hideously white”.
“If you look at who’s supporting, who’s playing and then you look at the FA Council – it doesn’t represent them,” said the 67-year-old. “It’s still overwhelmingly male, overwhelmingly white, in a world that isn’t overwhelmingly male and white, and somehow that has to be changed. We have to try and change it but we’re not alone, supporters have got to try and change it as well. “If you look at who’s supporting, who’s playing and then you look at the FA Council – it doesn’t represent them,” said the 67-year-old. “It’s still overwhelmingly male, overwhelmingly white, in a world that isn’t overwhelmingly male and white, and somehow that has to be changed. We have to try and change it but we’re not alone, supporters have got to try and change it as well.”
“We’ve got to look at how we involve the population of 21st century England and the mix it’s got. If we just carry on like this – old, white males – we’re going to be increasingly irrelevant.” “We’ve got to look at how we involve the population of 21st-century England and the mix it’s got. If we just carry on like this – old, white males – we’re going to be increasingly irrelevant.”
Supporters have only one representative on the FA Council, Dr Malcolm Clarke, who is the chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation – and Dyke admitted that this was not “proper representation.” Supporters have only one representative on the FA Council, Dr Malcolm Clarke, who is the chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation – and Dyke admitted that this was not “proper representation”.
Dyke also defended his controversial England Commission, which intends to change the structure of English football in order to help the promotion of English players. He acknowledged the opposition to some of his plans, which include the formation of a League Three to feature B teams and the go-ahead for what would effectively be Premier League feeder clubs in Leagues One and Two but challenged opponents to put forward alternative ideas. Dyke also defended his controversial England Commission, which intends to change the structure of English football in order to help the promotion of English players. He acknowledged the opposition to some of his plans, which include the formation of a League Three to feature B teams and the go-ahead for what would effectively be Premier League feeder clubs in Leagues One and Two but challenged opponents to put forward alternative ideas. “You wait for four years’ time, if we don’t do something about it,” Dyke said, with a nod towards England’s failed World Cup campaign in Brazil and the next tournament in Russia in 2018.
“You wait for four years’ time, if we don’t do something about it,” Dyke said, with a nod towards England’s failed World Cup campaign in Brazil and the next tournament in Russia in 2018.