Manchester City’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is embedded in all aspects of its operations club wide.
In the 2023-24 season, as part of the Club’s engagement with South and East Asian communities, each week City welcomed grassroots youth teams from across the North West to play and learn coaching skills at the City Football Academy.
During Ramadan, Iftars took place with fans, communities and staff for the third consecutive year and City welcomed more than 700 people to the Etihad Stadium.
In addition, a group of 100 young Muslim women were invited to the Women’s Manchester derby match at the Etihad Stadium. After the match, national campaign group, the Three Hijabis, led an interactive workshop to share ideas about diverse representation within football. This was followed by a special women’s Iftar.
City’s Academy launched a new diverse coaching talent initiative aimed at groups who are underrepresented in professional coaching. In partnership with the FA and the Premier League, male and female coaches from ethnically diverse backgrounds participated in professional development and networking sessions on campus.
During Black History Month, the Club shared stories about former defender Nedum Onuoha. Nedum also met Club legend and City’s first Black player Stan Horne to discuss their experiences as footballers.
There was also an opportunity to hear from Bing Findlater, a Manchester-born fan and recipient of a Football Black List award in 2022, who spoke about his life following City and his current role working with Official Supporter Clubs branches to welcome more fans from diverse backgrounds.
January 2024 saw Manchester City’s LGBTQ+ Official Supporters Club, Canal Street Blues LGBTQ+ (CSB), celebrate its tenth anniversary.
The group was one of the first of its kind in top-flight football and has amassed more than 100 members. Throughout the season, CSB travelled across the country to support the team and arranged local matchday meetups and social events.
Fans and staff joined together to celebrate the iconic Manchester Pride festival. This included the annual Pride flag-raising at the Etihad Stadium, following which community participants and Club representatives joined the parade.
The Club contributed profits from Pride merchandise to long-term EDI partner Pride Sports, which delivered the first ‘Ball Together Now’ – an inclusive women’s football festival in Manchester.
Ahead of International Women’s Day (IWD), City collaborated with local small business Feel Good Club (FGC) to launch Feel Good City and promote the benefits of football for physical and mental wellbeing.
City and FGC ran free fitness sessions led by City in the Community coaches, specifically tailored to those with no prior experience of playing football.
The collaboration also saw FGC host a meet-up for over 100 fans ahead of the women’s Manchester derby, and host a special IWD event to celebrate women in sport at their Northern Quarter café.
In February, City announced a collaboration with suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club, to provide free support for fans and the wider community.
Andy’s Man Club now delivers weekly peer support sessions at the Etihad Stadium for men to come together in a judgement-free space and be open about any issues they may be facing.
The introduction of this service by the Club follows a rise in male suicide, which is one of the highest causes of death in men under the age of 50 in the UK. The North West is one of the most impacted regions in the country, and tragically Manchester City lost several fans to suicide last season.
Ahead of the launch, current player John Stones and a number of former City stars – Nedum Onuoha, Alex Williams MBE and Paul Lake – took part in an Andy’s Man Club session.
Since the launch, Andy’s Man Club has recorded more than 250 individual sessions at the Etihad Stadium. These sessions will continue to run on Monday nights in the following 2024-25 season.
Reflecting on his own journey, David, who has been attending Andy’s Man Club sessions at the Etihad Stadium, said:
“My wife told me about Andy’s Man Club, so I thought I’d give it a go. It proved to be one of the best decisions of my life. When I arrived at the Etihad Stadium, I just sat in my car debating if I should leave, then a smiling face tapped on my window and asked if I wanted to come in.
“I walked into a bunch of smiling faces, when we sat down and started the session I realised I was talking to every man who was in my world, who knew what I was talking about and had a deep empathy for how I was feeling.
“Not once have I ever felt judged or frowned on. I know my experience is not unique. There’s an old saying that goes like this – ‘save one life and you save the world’.”
