Sheffield United Community Foundation: Opening Doors to Work
Sheffield United Community Foundation: Opening Doors to Work
Sheffield United Community Foundation (SUCF) is the charity arm of Sheffield United Football Club, working across the city to improve lives through sport, education, health and employability. As a small, place-based organisation deeply rooted in its communities, SUCF is able to foster strong relationships and respond flexibly to local needs, with inclusion central to how the Foundation delivers its programmes and how it recruits, develops and supports its workforce.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded within SUCF’s mission, governance and day-to-day practices, supported by regular audits and action plans linked to the professional football charity sector, including creating pathways for young people to progress from education into employment.
Actions Sheffield United Community Foundation has committed to as part of the Opening Doors campaign:
Make sure that your employees understand your commitment, and provide training on inclusive recruitment for those involved in hiring
SUCF’s commitment to inclusive recruitment is driven by its organisational culture and leadership. Those involved in recruitment are supported through safer recruitment, inclusive recruitment and bias-awareness training, helping to ensure recruitment decisions are fair, objective and aligned with the organisation’s values. Training covers topics such as unconscious bias, equality and diversity legislation, safeguarding responsibilities, and the importance of creating a positive and accessible candidate experience.
Being a relatively small organisation enables close internal cohesion, with senior managers involved throughout recruitment, ensuring inclusive principles are woven in from job design to appointment. This helps ensure job descriptions and person specifications focus on the skills, knowledge and behaviours are genuinely required, reducing unnecessary criteria that may disadvantage certain groups. It also supports inclusive language, consideration of flexible working arrangements and identification of barriers that could limit access to opportunities. Senior leaders help maintain consistency in shortlisting and assessment, encourage structured and objective evaluation, and reinforce accountability for fair and inclusive hiring practices.
Furthermore, all staff receive regular LGBTQ+ awareness training, and SUCF has previously delivered dedicated LGBTQ+ programmes. While the organisation does not yet formally track the impact of language changes on application numbers, this approach is seen as a fundamental part of attracting a wider and more diverse pool of candidates.
Use diverse images and role models in all your public-facing communications
Diversity and inclusion are intentionally reflected in SUCF’s external communications and website. It ensures that imagery, storytelling and language consistently represent the breadth of communities the Foundation serves. This includes showcasing participants, staff and programmes across disability sport, mental health provision, youth engagement and community football.
Communications and marketing consciously consider representation when selecting case studies, photography and campaign content, seeking to ensure that a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and communities are visible across external communications. Where appropriate, this is supported by internal guidance and editorial review processes to ensure content aligns with the Foundation’s equality, diversity and inclusion commitments.
A key example of this approach is SUCF’s Improving lives & tackling inequalities video, which highlights the Foundation’s work to break down barriers and challenge inequality across Sheffield. The video also demonstrates the impact of SUCF’s Youth Hub, which has supported 196 young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), providing visible role models and tangible pathways into education, volunteering and work.
Building on this, SUFC values employing people who have previously engaged with its programmes, ensuring its communications reflect the lived experiences of the communities it supports. These individuals are intentionally showcased as visible role models across marketing materials, campaigns and digital content. Participant journeys can progress from engagement into volunteering, qualifications and paid roles, demonstrating tangible pathways into employment while strengthening the authenticity of SUFC’s messaging. This approach has had demonstrable impact, with around 40% of staff (at the time of review) having previously participated in SUCF programmes, helping to build trust, relatability and show that opportunities are accessible and achievable for all.
Collect diversity data at application stage to ensure that you can measure and audit any potential barriers for diverse candidates
SUCF conducts annual diversity data collection to monitor workforce demographics and identify areas of underrepresentation. This data feeds into action plans with clear targets to improve diversity across the organisation. “We do an annual data collection of staff demographics and have action plans with targets to improve diversity across the business,” Vicki explains. The Foundation uses these insights to ensure vacancies are
shared widely, including through community groups, partner organisations and charities across Sheffield.
While data does not directly alter selection decisions, it informs outreach and helps SUCF assess whether its processes are creating unintended barriers. This evidence-led approach complements the organisation’s long-standing practice of nurturing talent internally by supporting volunteers and participants to progress into paid roles.
