Stormzy and adidas announce #Merky FC expansion to fight lack of diversity in the football industry as new report reveals incredible effect the initiative could have in five years

Stormzy and adidas have today launched the next chapter of the #Merky Football Careers partnership, the national programme created to enhance and protect diverse representation in football.

The number of roles offered by #Merky FC will more than triple this time around - going from 15 to 50 - as a collective of allies, including GOAL for the second year running, come together to provide off-the-pitch opportunities in the football industry.

In total, 25 leading brands - including Premier League clubs Manchester United and Arsenal, plus the likes of Sky Sports and Electronic Arts - will form part of the careers programme beginning in January 2024.

Each placement will provide work opportunities spanning operations and community, to creative and marketing, in a bid to change the game for black and black mixed heritage youth.

Stormzy and adidas have also worked together to produce a new report that uncovers the barriers faced by young black people and the #Merky FC approach to changing the game.

Fuelled by data that 56% of young black and mixed-black heritage people aspire to work in the industry, yet only 6.7% of senior roles in the football industry are taken by someone from this community, the rapper and sportswear giant recognised the need to identify the barriers to entry. With the ambition to encourage both the industry and fans alike to make the assist, the report models the potential impact of allyship and how initiatives like #Merky FC can help to increase representation.

Stormzy said: “We launched #Merky FC last year to help level the playing field off-the pitch by providing career opportunities for young black people. I am so pleased that we’re back this year with the same focus but with an increased recognition that there is still a lot of work to be done. This requires a collective effort from the whole football community and it’s the reason we published this report – we want to show how everyone can do their bit.”

Developed through an expert team of behavioural scientist and data analysts, the research found 72% of people from black or mixed black heritage are more likely to apply for a #Merky FC role if it’s recommended by friend.

This insight, combined with existing data on representation in the football industry, application bias and job openings, plus the impact of adding #Merky FC roles, led to the report modelling a projection of a 40% increase in black representation over five years.

Steve Marks, Senior Director Brand Communications, adidas said: “We’re extremely proud to launch the next iteration of #Merky FC with Stormzy. We commissioned this report to demonstrate the tangible power of allyship – in a model projecting how we together can boost representation by 40% over five years through a simple act of allyship. Since its inception our goal for #Merky FC has been to not only cultivate new opportunities for young Black people, but to inspire an industrywide movement to create a more diverse and representative world of football.”

For further information please visit www.merkyfc.com or follow @adidaslondon on Instagram or Twitter to join the conversation.