RESEARCH

#TellYourStory

For #TellYourStory, we interviewed hundreds of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people who shared their experiences of accessing, involvement in, or exclusion from sport.

"From the outset, we made it clear it was personal..."

“From the outset, we made it clear it was personal, and we weren’t willing to do the project and move on. We have committed to being part of real change”. Akin Thomas, CEO of AKD Solutions.  

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AKD Solutions welcome the acknowledgement by the UK’s five Sports Councils that racism and racial inequality remain significant issues across sport in the UK at all levels and have had a detrimental and disadvantaging impact over many years.
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With the publication of the #TellYourStory report and the wider review, the Sports Councils’ have accepted that the recommendations put forward should be used to develop and deliver tangible actions to tackle the issues raised. AKD Solutions hopes this commitment will be a springboard for positive and lasting change.

We are a Black-owned training and development consultancy, which researched and authored #TellYourStory, a lived experience report looking at the impact of race and racism on sporting lives.

In Autumn 2020, we began working with the Chief Executives of UK Sport, Sport Wales, Sport Northern Ireland, Sport England and sportscotland. With the murder of George Floyd, a catalyst, they had joined forces to commit to tackling racism and racial inequalities across their nations. Their goal – to develop a collective plan to help build sporting communities that truly reflect the societies they represent.

Who participated

For #TellYourStory, we interviewed hundreds of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people who shared their experiences of accessing, involvement in, or exclusion from sport. The interviewees ranged from grassroots participants, parents and supporters to elite athletes, coaches, sports media and the wider Sports workforce. The stories the AKD research team heard were challenging, traumatic, encouraging and inspiring, and we thank everyone who shared their experiences.

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Heather David led the research for AKD Solutions: “This was a hugely important piece of work for the team and one that we were totally immersed in and committed to. We made a promise to all participants to represent them authentically. Their stories were used to craft a roadmap to trust and commitment to change across the sporting sector. The trends and themes that emerged offered an insight into the reasons for poor participation and lost talent. It is important that these stories aren’t told in vain and will be used to influence sporting policy and practice”.

"I hope they continue to be brave enough to pursue better..."

“Much work is needed to reverse the outcomes of systematic racism in sport. However, the Sports Councils’ have started to address the inequalities, and I hope they continue to be brave enough to pursue a better, equitable and anti-racist sporting landscape”. Ladi Ajayi, Head of Sport Division – AKD Solutions.

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Akin Thomas is CEO of AKD Solutions: “As a black-owned learning and development consultancy, this project was very personal to our team, many of whom have sporting backgrounds. We thank the CEOs of the Sports Councils and their teams for leaning in and fully supporting our work. However, our involvement does not end with the publication of the report. We recognise our role as an agent of change, and we continue to partner with those who share our vision and passion.

“To support change, we have developed a model of leadership called ACE to help organisations disrupt their normality and create significant change. It has been designed explicitly as a tool for leaders committed to greater diversity, inclusion and equity in their organisations, but it has far wider applications. ACE stands for Allyship, Challenge and Experiment, all of which are needed for true cultural change”.

Find out more

#TellYourStory is just the beginning of change. Do you want to know more?

Sports Council

Read the statement from the Sports Councils' here.

ACE

Read more about ACE and how we are tranforming Sport Organisations.

AKD Sport

See how we are working with Sport Organisations.

Research

We have conducted three pioneering Sport research projects.

Download #TellYourStory Report

With the publication of the #TellYourStory report and the wider review, the Sports Councils’ have accepted that the recommendations put forward should be used to develop and deliver tangible actions to tackle the issues raised. AKD Solutions hopes this commitment will be a springboard for positive and lasting change.

Download Report

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