This article is part of The Athletic’s series celebrating UK Black History Month. You can find the full series here.
The lack of diversity in the English women’s game is not a new criticism.
The subject resurfaced last week with the publication of Arsenal’s 2023-24 squad photo on social media which showed a 27-player group — none of them from non-white backgrounds. The picture prompted a flurry of responses.
“Considering this is a ‘London’ club, the lack of diversity is sad to see,” said one supporter.
Others queried the stark disparity in diversity between the men’s and women’s playing staff at Arsenal.
Arsenal’s men pose for their 2023-24 team photo last month (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Just how is it that Arsenal, with such a rich tradition of diversity among their support staff and team, have a women’s squad consisting of 27 white players? And is this reflective of the women’s game in England more broadly?
The Athletic previously explored this area in some depth, with pieces focused on the lack of non-white role models in the England squad during their triumphant European Championship campaign last year, and the root causes for the lack of exposure for non-white players at that level, back in 2021.
In these pieces, it was…
