Project details
Aston Villa Foundation – ALL IN
ALL IN is a new initiative launched in April 2018. The ALL IN initiative aims to ensure that Aston Villa Football Club is an inclusive institution that provides a welcoming environment to supporters, the local community, customers, employees, contacts and competitors.
The Club wants to ensure that the Club and all its subsidiaries are free from discrimination of any kind, embracing all regardless of age, race, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, sex (gender), religion or belief.
ALL IN transcends all levels of the Club. The Club is committed to promoting equality, valuing diversity and combating unfair treatment.
Through ALL IN, the Club aims to ensure that the message of equality is followed and actively practised.
Aston Villa will strive to guarantee that anyone involved with the Club, no matter the capacity, can be assured of an environment in which their rights, dignity and individual worth are respected, and in particular that they are able to enjoy their engagement at the Club without the threat of intimidation, victimisation, harassment, bullying and abuse.
Objectives
The primary objective is the EFL Equality Code of Practice. Once Aston Villa has achieved the EFL Equality Code of Practice, the Club will aim to achieve the three stages of the Premier League Equality Standard (preliminary, intermediate and advanced level).
The objective is to achieve this before the summer of 2021.
Responsibilities
At Board level, CEO Keith Wyness is the lead on Equality, Inclusion and Anti-discrimination.
The day-to-day responsibility for the functioning and operation of the Club lies with our Executive Group. The Executive Group consists of:
- Keith Wyness, CEO (Board Director)
- Ian Hopson, Finance Director
- Mel Millner, Interim HR Director
- Vicky Wilkes, General Counsel
- Ian Dimmock, Operations Director
- Luke Organ, Chief Commercial Officer
- Rongtian He, Overseas Business Officer (Executive Assistant to the Chairman)
- Sharon Barnhurst, Club Secretary
- Tommy Jordan, Communications Director
- Karen Croft, Executive Assistant to the Board
The Executive Group have the responsibility to ensure that everyone representing Aston Villa embraces ALL IN and help achieve equality and increased diversity across all areas of the Club.
This extends from the Board to subsidiaries and includes the Aston Villa Foundation. Lee Preece, Football Operations/Projects Manager, has been nominated by the Board and the Executive Group as the ALL IN Lead Officer & Equality Champion.
The full guidelines outlining the Club’s commitment to ALL IN can be found here.
