The FA adopt the 'Rooney Rule', almost

Congratulations to the Football League which last week agreed to adopt a modified version of the American Rooney Rule which will open up more opportunities in this country for BME coaches and managers.

At their summer meeting, the 72 clubs accepted the recommendation of chairman Greg Clarke (pictured above) that by the start of the 2016-17 season at least one BME candidate will be interviewed for all youth development roles. Clubs will also have a voluntary commitment to interview a BME candidate for any first team managerial or coaching position, and will work with stakeholders to identify BME coaches and players with the potential and aspiration to coach in professional football.

Clarke’s presentation to clubs included a video interview with Dan Rooney, the chairman of Pittsburgh Steelers responsible for the implementation in the NFL that the short list for every job must include one ethnic minority candidate.

There has been very little opposition to the FA’s move, although the Daily Mail’s Ian Ladyman criticised it as ‘tokenism’ and quoted, out of context, QPR manager Chris Ramsey and Burton Albion manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Not unsurprisingly, they both said that they and other black managers should be appointed on merit, not because they are black.

The whole point of the Rooney Rule in the US, and now its modified version here, is that people from BME backgrounds will be interviewed so that they have a chance to show their merit in equal competition with white candidates. BME candidates will at last have the opportunity to demonstrate to an interview panel they can do as well at coaching and managerial levels as they have done on the pitch for the past 30 years.

It is a disappointing that Ladyman thinks this timely measure is about “simply herding minorities into interview rooms just to make the numbers look better."

Real success will be measured by how many talented and successful BME managers come through this new process.

Paul Hensby