Boro Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey

newyddion said:
Riversidebyside is utter bollokcs.

Inclusion..
We boo taking the knee
We chant ‘town full of rent boys’
We don’t have a womans team

It started in 2017 - five or six years of work on inclusivity and what do we have to show for it?
Click to expand...
The club is very inclusive, it doesn't seem to have a problem with homophobic chants or the racists booing taking the knee, all are welcome regardless of prejudice.
 
newyddion said:
Hopefully the club take on board some of the suggestions.. I think we are way behind on inclusivity and diversity. When we’re mentioned in the same breath as Milwall you know something isn’t quite right!
Click to expand...
Both Middlesbrough and Millwall work tirelessly in the community don't undervalue the work of MFC Foundation with young, older, unemployed, care homes, schools, mental health etc etc. Don't forget their work with food banks, boot banks etc and on housing estates through initiatives like Kicks.
 
fmttmadmin said:
Both Middlesbrough and Millwall work tirelessly in the community don't undervalue the work of MFC Foundation with young, older, unemployed, care homes, schools, mental health etc etc. Don't forget their work with food banks, boot banks etc and on housing estates through initiatives like Kicks.
Click to expand...
No don’t do that. Two separate things there.. work in the community, food banks etc are nothing to do with educating fans regarding racism or homophobia.
 
newyddion said:
Yeah, that’s why the badge is different and the sponsor is different.
Click to expand...
It is part of the MFC family if you like. There has to be separation by law because it is a charity. But they work from the Riverside hand in hand on projects.
They are unofficially the club's charity, the community arm. Legally at arm's length but it is all about the Boro badge, not so much the Foundation's badge.
 
fmttmadmin said:
It is part of the MFC family if you like. There has to be separation by law because it is a charity. But they work from the Riverside hand in hand on projects.
They are unofficially the club's charity, the community arm. Legally at arm's length but it is all about the Boro badge, not so much the Foundation's badge.
Click to expand...
the badge changed in 2017 and they no longer feature on the clubs website..
B4741EB3-4638-4886-9099-0EE4C559944D.jpeg
 
With things like this it’s very easy to get defensive and try to deflect criticism, sometimes it can be uncomfortable especially when folks are trying to do good things at the club.. but there’s no point lying to ourselves and avoiding uncomfortable conversations.. the whole point of this exercise is to highlight issues and look at ways to try to alleviate those issues or reduce harm.
 
Rofesleg said:
I wonder if we'll ever reach the point where inclusivity happens naturally without the need for dedicated company officers, surveys, action plans and targets.
Click to expand...
That has to be the aim, trying to instil a change in culture.

unfortunately (for them) if they are successful.. they’ve done themselves out of a job!
 
Last edited:
newyddion said:
That has to be the aim, trying to instil a change in culture.



unfortunately if they are successful.. they’ve done themselves out of a job!

Absolutely on doing themselves out of a job...its what I worked towards as a Community and Youth worker...empowering others to take control so I could hopefully retire some day🤣🤣🤣🤣 unfortunately just never happens that way as things change, people change
Click to expand...
 
newyddion said:
Someone on here told me! I was surprised when I heard especially after the success of the womens national team.
Click to expand...
Sorry I thought you meant the Foundation.
Middlesbrough Women's team have been talking to Boro about working together for quite some time I believe.
I spoke with the women's Chair Ben Fisher just this afternoon actually about is starting a regular feature both here, online and in the fanzine promoting the women's team and giving lots of info around the games. So, hopefully we can set this up soon.
If anyone ever wants to go along and write some match reports then that would be fabulous.
But am hoping to work with Ben and their new media guy to help promote what they are doing.
They are a really well run outfit actually and it would be great to help them along.
 
I saw someone mention the possibility of getting a womens fit replica shirt on sale in the club shop.. someone saying that we struggled to shirt them previously (despite them never being publicised or promoted) the club shop is totally naff in many ways.. but what about a womens clothing section?

Francesca Lieratore’s Fall Winter Collection from from Milano Fashion Week might be a good start.. (it’s all Errea gear and it’s off the hook)

E64EACFE-1C38-4A65-A900-7597FEC59BEE.jpeg
 
Last edited:
newyddion said:
I saw someone mention the possibility of getting a womens fit replica shirt on sale in the club shop.. someone saying that we struggled to shirt them previously (despite them never being publicised or promoted) the club shop is totally naff in many ways.. but what about a womens clothing section?

Francesca Lieratore’s Fall Winter Collection from from Milano Fashion Week might be a good start.. (it’s all Errea gear and it’s off the hook)

View attachment 53784
Click to expand...
I brought it up about women's gear in the shop at the last supporters forum. It appeared to be a little more complicated than just get some extra and better stuff in...down to sales and profits really so not sure it will change. But the online shop needs to be better in navigating around it tbh to get folk to buy more if they aren't coming into the shop. And OMG is that pic what I should be wearing to be classed as fashionable 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
BoroLioness said:
I brought it up about women's gear in the shop at the last supporters forum. It appeared to be a little more complicated than just get some extra and better stuff in...down to sales and profits really so not sure it will change. But the online shop needs to be better in navigating around it tbh to get folk to buy more if they aren't coming into the shop. And OMG is that pic what I should be wearing to be classed as fashionable 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Click to expand...
Long sleeved boro top with the sleeves rolled up, boro scarf on your head, tracksuit top round your waist, tracksuit bottoms tucked into socks and a single duvet worn like a cape.. y’know.. classy!

The trouble is that I can get fake boro gear quicker and easier and cheaper than the real deal.. and it’s decent quality! To some extent I can see the bother with getting custom shirts ordered.. but there’s a lot of stock items we could do more with and the standard of the other stuff is dire!

I don’t think the club shop has changed since it first opened.. the only difference being we don’t have one in town anymore!
 
Redwurzel said:
Ref: comments like I don't see more inclusiveness at the Riverside or the club doing anything more etc

I see more fans of differing racial types and more players too than in the past (5 of the 14 used at WBA). Yusuf is a high profile example of a Boro fan who is fully integrated into the fan base of the club. He has also done video interviewing work for the Club.

Thye staff working at the Riverside are more diversified than in the past. I was served by a East European woman in the ticket office for the QPR game.

There are more women and girls attending games and particiapting in pen shoot outs, mascots etc - Boro have one of the highest percentages of female fans in the country. A women aged about 50 say on her own near me at WBA. She had a Boro scarf and no one obviously near her was with her. I did not speak with her, but I thought how great it was that she was comfortable doing that, sorry to say it was not have happened 30 years ago or very unlikely.

I personally have not heard any racial chanting for many years at the Riverside from Bor fans, probably the last was at Ayresome, for me. In contrast I remember seeing monkey gestures and chants aimed at Ugo when he returned to Villa in 2001 and I was in the Holt End.

The rent boys chant is heard occasionally, but its becoming less and less. I believe some younger fans may not even know what it means.

I am told the facilities for people with a disability are very good at the Riverside, but I have not attended a game in that section, but know someone who takes his son who has a wheelchair. They also have allocated car parking spot in a club car park. The father gets free entry to Boro home games.

The Foundation have a special bus that they use to bring fans from East Cleveland to games, particularly for fans without a car. I think its only £2 so its helping low income groups.

The Club have been helful with food banks to help people on Teesside who are struggling with food poverty. There was a collection point in the ticket office.
Click to expand...
All of what you say is correct however in terms of staffing the only BAME staff you will see are match day staff, a very small amount in the Foundation...oh and then the players. There are no BAME staff within the SMT at all. The club themselves have admitted that they are not doing well in some parts of EDI and one of those areas is BAME fans and staffing. I haven't even started delving yet into other protected characteristics groupings but will do. But yes on the face of things we may look like we are doing well but I'm afraid if you scratch the surface you will see we still have a long way to go.
As for female fans, I bought my first season ticket a good few years back as I was sick and tired of not going unless my husband was with me and he worked abroad at the time. So I started going to matches on my own but it took a lot for me to do that because of two reasons, 1 reason was because I'm female and the other because I'm Asian.

I didn't know if I would be safe but I started with buying single tickets to see how I would feel, I then in the same season bought a half season ticket and have carried on renewing. I can tell you now from experience that my fears were wrong, I have never felt unsafe and the fans I sit with are brilliant. But I do always stay on high alert incase any newcomers in the crowd around me come out with racist cack...that I'm afraid is my lived reality all because of the colour of my skin. It doesn't help when folk in the south stand start booing because some players take the knee...I'm guessing that most of them don't even know why they are booing and do it to follow the crowd and are sheep...but their actions don't make me want to ever sit in that stand. As fir Yusuf, he is a fantastic ambassador for us but our fans have been known to be racist to him, but he appears to let it wash over him but he shouldn't have to because he shouldn't be getting any racist abuse or abuse full stop.
So things aren't as rosey as you may think they are...sorry to say
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top