Yorkshire to appoint head of equality in bid to boost inclusion

Yorkshire have committed to appointing a Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as part of the club's efforts to "improve inclusion across all forms and levels of the game".

The club has recently been rocked by claims of racism from former player, Azeem Rafiq, and have launched an investigation to consider the allegations. They have also said they will "seek to implement the recommendations due to be made by the investigation panel".

Now, on the day the ECB announced a raft of new measures to tackle discrimination, the club have pledged their support and acknowledged "there is much more we can do".

"Cricket enjoys support from diverse audiences across the world, however, it is clear we must do much more to improve inclusion across all forms and levels of the game if we are to truly reflect the communities who contribute so much to the sport," a statement from the club read.

"The Yorkshire County Cricket Club wholeheartedly support the ECB's aims to further their work on an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan for 2021-24 and want to be part of ensuring meaningful change across the game.

"We recognise that County clubs are crucial to the success of the plan and will look to apply its actions, initiatives and targets across our own organisation. We already support the ECB in a number of their projects but there is much more we can and must do to properly address issues of diversity and equality in our sport. As part of our commitment to this Action Plan, our board will look to appoint a Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the New Year with responsibility for delivering meaningful, measurable initiatives across Yorkshire Cricket.

"As well as the ECB actions, we will also seek to implement the recommendations due to be made by the investigation panel considering the allegations made by our former player, Azeem Rafiq. This is an important investigation and we have committed to a full and thorough process to provide an in-depth set of recommendations which we now hope to publish in early 2021."