In 2018, Everton launched All Together Now. With its tagline ‘a football family for everyone’, the campaign has since continued to break new ground in championing equality.
Sunday afternoon’s fixture against Chelsea at Goodison Park was dedicated to celebrating that work - and raising awareness of the Club and Everton in the Community’s vital contribution in this area – with plenty of pre-match activity.
Here, Ben Osu, Everton’s Senior Lead for Equity and Inclusion explains the progress made over the past five years, and why it is as important as ever for football clubs to lead the way...
Q. Ben, we're celebrating five years of All Together Now. Why are campaigns like this so important?
BO: "All Together Now was important when it launched back in 2018, continues to be important now, and will remain important in the future. Great work has been done over the past five years but we always say that the job is never done when it comes to equality and ensuring everyone who comes to Everton for a match, a meeting, to attend one of our Everton in the Community programmes, or for any other reason, feels they are in a respectful and safe environment.
"All football clubs and their fans are a reflection of wider society, so it is important that clubs are using their influence and audience to make the world a better place as this will, undoubtedly, impact the lives of supporters and those in their communities.
"But it also goes beyond that. Collectively, clubs at the top of our game have a global audience of millions and, if just one action can change the life of one person, it's worth it."
Q. You have been in your role for almost two years now. What have been your proudest achievements so far?
BO: "There are many! I am proud to have devised a new equity and inclusion vision and strategy that we use as the blueprint for everything we do, both internally in terms of our policies, but also externally through activities, such as supporting other celebration days, hosting events and creating the Respect, Celebrate, Empower clothing range that was launched last week.
"As part of that strategy, we now have a growing Equity and Inclusion team at the Club and have been able to organise some great education and awareness events for colleagues, particularly around LGBTQ+ Pride and Mental Health Awareness.
"Our work has also been recognised by external partners, such as the Northwest Football Awards, and we’ve been awarded the highest level of the Premier League’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard. It is always great to have that verification that what we are doing is right and, more importantly, making a difference."
Q. What is the vision for All Together Now going forward?
BO: "We want to be the most diverse and inclusive club in the Premier League. To achieve this, our ambition is to continue to promote the importance of equity and inclusion to everybody associated with Everton Football Club, including supporters, colleagues, players and the communities we reach via Everton in the Community. Ultimately, our aim is to ensure that everybody involved in the ‘Everton Family’ has a sense of pride and belonging.
"We’re already a year into a 10-year plan we created to build on the early successes of All Together Now and we will continue to drive the campaign forward and strive to hit what are challenging but important objectives."
Q. How important have supporters been to All Together Now, and what can they do going forward to play their part?
"I would always encourage supporters to follow what we’re doing by keeping an eye on evertonfc.com/AllTogetherNow, our social media platforms and the matchday programme.
"Fans can also join us in championing Respect, Celebrate, Empower by buying something from our clothing range, knowing that all the net profits are being donated to Everton in the Community’s projects.
"But, most importantly, we ask that you continue to call out, challenge and report any incidents of discrimination when you see it.
"If we are to tackle issues of discrimination head on, it is important it is a group effort, and the team and I are extremely grateful for your continued support and diligence.
"If you witness any form of unsavoury or anti-social behaviour, harassment or discrimination at a match, you can report it by speaking to a Club steward or a police officer, or by using our dedicated confidential reporting lines.
"Supporters can report any incidents of discrimination or abuse to the Stadium Safety Team by texting HELP and details of what has been witnessed and where to 84300, or by emailing reportit@evertonfc.com."
