Basketball England forms new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee

The Basketball England board has sanctioned the formation of a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee. 

​The move aims to build on engagement between BE and the basketball community to promote the sport as accessible and fair for everyone, at every level - playing, coaching, officiating, volunteering, administration, employment and positions of influence. 

It follows discussions around discrimination, how to oppose it and the anti-racism protests of this year, as well as analysis levels of representation in roles within the game.  

The scope of the panel will include the protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act 2010 to help tackle disadvantage and discrimination based on age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. The committee will also consider matters relating deprivation and other forms of social exclusion. 

Stewart Kellett, Basketball England CEO, said:   

“We have elevated voices, listened and started to change the approach to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across the sport.  

“Thanks to the ideas and feedback from all parts of the sport, we now want to turn the conversation, online engagement and short-term responses into longer-term developments to support the game. 

“Basketball England’s initial focus will be to recruit a panel of diverse individuals with the appropriate expertise and experience from within and outside basketball with the idea of them helping to shape and guide the organisation’s approach to tackling all forms of discrimination and promoting inclusion and fairness.” 

Benny Bonsu, Basketball England board member, said:  

“Basketball is a diverse sport that requires every part of it in England to be diverse. It is important to reflect the people we serve and for everyone to be involved and feel part of our growth and future.  

“My hope is for the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee to trailblaze the path for tackling any kind of discrimination within our sport going forward.” 

Roles will be advertised in the new year and the committee will form part of a wider review of Integrity focusing on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as well as Safeguarding, Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Standards and Regulations, as part of the organisation’s #TogetherWeAreBasketbALL campaign. 

The objectives of the Committee include: 

• To promote equality, diversity and inclusion through campaigns, education and partnerships 
• To review cases of discrimination and breaches of standards 
• To provide support to the BE executive, including policy development and raising standards at all levels and roles in the game 
• To review the progress and challenges for BE, key stakeholders, membership and wider game in relation to culture and change, and recommend actions and improvements for the board and other parties to adopt 

Recruitment of the panel members 

The members will be recruited by open advert with the allowance to co-opt members to attract people with sufficient skills and experience to assist Basketball England in fulfilling its governance and legal duties.  

The skill and experience requirements will include: 

• Knowledge and experience of the legal obligations to comply with all matters of equality, diversity and Inclusion 
• Ability to apply all the relevant Basketball England policies and processes to all considerations and decisions 
• Ability to review complex discrimination cases and investigations 
• Ability to relate the legal and ethical issues to cases, complaints and individuals from a volunteer in sport perspective 
• Experience of working in the promotion and education of equality, diversity and inclusion 
• Experience of working on discrimination cases and advising bodies on good practice, support and disciplinary action 
• Understanding of how to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in a national governing body setting and with a local volunteer network with varying responsibilities, liabilities and capacity 
• Understanding of the culture of basketball as an important sport in modern society