Walk into a football boardroom and you’ll see much the same scene. Rows of white faces are making decisions in a sport played primarily by men who don’t look like them.
Wayne Allison spent 40 years in English football, first as a player with Huddersfield Town, Bristol City, Swindon Town, Sheffield United and Chesterfield, and then as a coach at various EFL clubs. And now he is one of the most talented managers.
He’s watched that disconnect quietly grow into something the game can no longer ignore.
He is exceptional no matter how you look at it. A PhD, UEFA Pro License and published author, he studied at the London School of Economics, but his journey began as a Tranmere Rovers player when the PFA funded a postgraduate degree in Sports Science. Since then he has held senior leadership roles with the Football Association (FA), the League Managers Association (LMA) and is currently Director of Coaching with the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO).
He also represents UEFA as a technical observer, making Dr Wayne Allison, 57, perhaps the most qualified former professional footballer to hold a senior position in English professional football today. He’s also one of the only people of color doing this at this level, and he insists that’s no coincidence.
Sign up now for the Make Football Great Again newsletter and get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox!
“English football as a collective has a responsibility,” Alisson said. Based on his own experience, he provides explanations with insight and sharp observation skills.
“The contrast in football is stark: while there is great diversity on the pitch, there is little opportunity for non-white representation in boardrooms, senior club positions or among the game’s key stakeholders.
“Football is trying to deal with this issue, but while former players may move into media or coaching roles, there are fewer CEO, chief football officer, technical director or TD jobs available in the game itself.”
To make matters worse, due to the lack of diversity in senior positions at clubs, football shareholder meetings are often made up of blank faces who sit and make decisions for the players who are inseparable from their world. That’s something Alisson is keenly aware of, but the brilliant, intelligent and eloquent Yorkshireman believes there are bigger issues that football needs to get to grips with.
“Governance, performance culture, and inclusive pathways need to be aligned to improve team outcomes,” he says. “But ultimately it’s about the communities we serve. If football doesn’t reflect the players, communities and fans on the pitch, how can we say they understand and represent wider issues?
“You shouldn’t have players on the pitch who look up at the managers in the stadium and say, ‘Where am I?'” Similarly, fans in the stadium should also ask, “Where are the representatives at the club?”
“It’s similar to management and coaching. It’s not just about tokenism. We need to understand that. It’s about aligning leadership teams with the people they actually represent, from the players on the field to the communities they serve.”
“There’s a lot of talent and capable people in ethnically diverse groups. We all know that, and I’ve seen it firsthand. The talent is there. It’s the path to these roles that matters. Senior roles seem to be avoiding certain people. We need to keep up with the competition.”
Tranmere’s Wayne Allison celebrates after defeating Sunderland in the 2000 FA Cup fourth round (Image: Clive Brunskill /Allsport)
You can get a job in football, but there is a limit. This is especially true for non-white former players.
Maheta Molango is the chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association and is better at the job because of his ability to be more representative of the players on the pitch. With increased diversity, more former players are moving into television and becoming media pundits.
Tottenham CEO Vinay Venkatesham and Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada are the rare non-white faces in Premier League boardrooms. The FA, LMA and PGMO all recognized Alisson’s qualities and talent, but the game needs more voices like his. That much is clear.
It is clear that the PGMO, where he is the Director of Coaching, is working to recruit more diverse referees, female referees, and even encourage the participation of female referees. In recent years, it has more than quadrupled to 21%. Increasing the number of staff by one-fifth is a big step.
Alisson is literally one of the few diverse appointments in senior roles among football officials and clubs.
He held various coaching positions at several EFL clubs, but admitted he was “unstable” at one club and wanted a further challenge, the chance to hone his skills and play his part in an attempt to change the shape of football.
Manchester United chief executive Omar Berada (right) and director of football Jason Wilcox (Image: Getty Images)
“The lack of ethnic diversity in coaching and management positions in English football, and the lack of black managers, is well documented, but the higher you go up the ladder, the situation does not get better, if not worse. The rate of change needs to improve,” he said.
“Everyone has to work harder and play their part. So perhaps, when possible, when a black manager is appointed, we could consider having competent and qualified black coaches on our coaching staff, only if they add value. Otherwise, it is counterproductive. This will help address the lack of opportunities afforded to aspiring black coaches in the professional game.”
Reflecting on his past and current roles, Alison is particularly grateful to LMA chief executive Richard Bevan, who has relished the challenge of PGMO, saying:
“I’ve enjoyed my time at LMA and I’m very lucky to work with some great people at PGMO. There’s never been any doubt about the diversity on the pitch. Where the game hasn’t been able to maintain its pace is in the office, the boardroom and the technical department above it.
“Through my role as non-executive director of sport, I know first-hand that other sport committees are more representative of athletes. The composition of the board was completely diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and ideology, so in many ways, football, which often leads the way, is playing catch-up.”
Wayne Allison wants change
Alison is not bitter. He is too cautious for that and realizes that his efforts have paid off. But he has a clear eye for what his own career represents. It’s not just a personal accomplishment, it’s also a proof of concept that the game was too slow to replicate.
Talent exists. The ability exists. Why do so many senior positions continue to elude so many highly qualified and undervalued people?
Wayne Allison has spent his career building credentials to earn him a seat at the table. The question now is not whether people like him deserve to be there. That’s why there aren’t that many of them and ultimately who’s going to do something about it.
“To address it, we need to get to the root cause, and that’s the only way to move forward positively.”
Soccer has tools. they have proof. What they need is ambition and a greater desire to change.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 20% discount on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
