Working closely with stakeholders across the game to tackle discrimination and foster more inclusive environments, the League has delivered a range of initiatives and policy updates to drive positive change.

Much of the League’s work has been channelled through the EFL Code of Practice and the EFL Club Education Hub, which have played a vital role in supporting and upskilling Club staff to strengthen their understanding and provision on a broad range of matters.

The Equality Code of Practice requires Clubs to focus on priority groups in which underrepresentation exists and those characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010.

The Code classifies Clubs as either Bronze (Minimum Requirement), Silver or Gold and provides support for further development on their EDI Journey.

Following an assessment season in 2023/24 that saw 53 Clubs achieve Bronze, nine Silver and two Gold, the Equality Code of Practice entered a development season in 2024/25.

Throughout the season 215 development meetings were scheduled across the 72 Clubs and the EDI team responded to over 574 additional requests for guidance and support, reflecting the commitment to inclusion across the League.

A total of 22 clubs also received support visits and 31 clubs participated in development meetings.

In total, 68 EFL Clubs will be assessed against the Code of Practice this season, with the three newly-relegated teams from the Premier League and Sheffield United continuing on the Premier League’s PLEDIS scheme.

Launched in the 2024/25 season, the EFL Club Education Hub represents a significant step forward in how the EFL supports staff development, employability, and lifelong learning across its clubs. This initiative builds on the strong foundation of the Together Education programme, with a renewed focus on ensuring that all Club staff have access to high-quality professional development opportunities.

Since 2022, the EFL has deliver 19,481 hours of education to Clubs across webinar and conferences, in addition to the courses it also delivers.

Key highlights from the 2024/25 season include the delivery of the Disability Access Officer Course, the launch of the Head of Football Administration Course and a new partnership with UCFB.

For disabled fans, the League introduced a new regulation to ensure that they could sit with their fellow supporters at away matches, rather than elsewhere in the stadium.

Alongside this, the launch of the Disability Access Officer certificate has significantly improved the awareness and education of issues impacting disabled fans across the EFL.

Recognising the importance of visibility and solidarity, the League has delivered high-profile campaigns each season, including Together Against Racism and our groundbreaking PUMA Rainbow Ball activity, while continuing to support a wide range of other campaigns and fan engagement initiatives throughout the season.

The work of EFL Clubs stands alongside the wide array of community inclusion programmes delivered every week by the network of Club charities and EFL in the Community.

To mark the three-year anniversary of the strategy’s launch, this year we have again highlighted examples of that great work from across each of our 72 Clubs, which you can see here.

EFL marks milestones in their drive to tackle discrimination and underrepresentation

EFL marks milestones in their drive to tackle discrimination and underrepresentation