Arsenal have accepted there is a lack of diversity in their women’s team and vowed to make improving the situation a “key priority.”
The club has faced criticism since posting a photograph of Jonas Eidevall’s squad for the 2023-24 season on social media this month. There are no black or ethnic-minority players in the 27-strong lineup.
“We acknowledge our current women’s first-team squad does not reflect the diversity that exists across the club and the communities we represent,” read an Arsenal statement. “Increasing participation among young women and girls from diverse backgrounds is a key priority for us at the academy level, with specific measures in place to improve pathways and accessibility.
“Across all our teams, including our men’s and women’s academies, we’re proud of our players from diverse backgrounds who have contributed to our history, success and culture. It’s a priority for the club to continue to drive greater diversity and inclusion and create a sense of belonging for everyone connected to the club.”
The situation at Arsenal is symptomatic of a lack of diversity across women’s football, particularly in England, with players from ethnically-diverse backgrounds often a significant minority, or completely nonexistent, in elite squads. The situation is especially stark at international level – there were only three black players in the Lionesses squad that won Euro 2022, with none starting in the final victory over Germany. At this year’s World Cup, Jess Carter and Lauren James did get regular minutes for Sarina Wiegman’s side but also happened to be the only ethnically-diverse players in the squad.
Wiegman acknowledged this year that a lack of diversity in English women’s football was a problem that was “not going to change overnight”, while Chelsea’s manager, Emma Hayes, has accused the women’s game of being a “middle-class sport”. “In terms of the locations, the pedigree of player, they’re often coming from suburban belts around the training grounds,” she said. “If you want a diverse group involved with our game at an elite level then perhaps we should be travelling into the cities in a more profound way.”
The make-up of Arsenal’s women’s side is in contrast to the men’s side, for whom Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, William Saliba, Eddie Nketiah and Takehiro Tomiyasu are among a core of players from different ethnic groups and backgrounds.
