Growing up I lived just a ten minute walk from Wembley Stadium, the home of English football, and of course The FA. So I guess it’s a bit ironic that twenty-three years later I found myself sitting at The FA’s Leadership Academy.

The reason I was sat there however was a completely different story, and a lot less ironic.

I’m an ambitious person who wants to build and see genuine success in both my and my friends’ lives. This drive has made me put myself in various rooms, whether it be at a networking event or my workplace - one thing always sticks out to me… me.

As a member of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community and pursuing a career and life in sport, it is often that you don’t see yourself represented either in positions of leadership, or at all in these spaces which can certainly be a bit intimidating at first. According to social identity theory, humans have a need to belong in groups (Alessandra DeVito, 2024) as the sense of familiarity helps us to feel comfortable, safe and gives us a sense of belonging.

It is daunting enough to walk into a room where you do not know anyone, let alone one where no one looks or sounds like you.

This is something I have, and am still overcoming, and want to share some advice and confidence in another Mykel to take that leap of faith to step into spaces where typically we do not step into, whether it be because of fear or simply that we think it will not be beneficial.

Similarities and the sense of same are intrinsic and are far deeper than the colour of your skin or the area you grew up in - they can be the sport you like, the music you listen to, the countries you have visited, the school you went to. My mission throughout my career, and the project that I want to deliver during my time with The FA Leadership Academy (FALA) shares this exact mission, hoping that the next Mykel will step out of their bubble too. Because in the end, what connects us in these rooms will always outweigh what first seems to set us apart - we just have to stay long enough to find it.

I aim to do this by increasing the visibility of successful BME individuals in sport and creating opportunities such as networking events and job fairs where there are fewer obstacles for a ‘Mykel’. These initiatives will seek to allow young people to see and appreciate other people's journeys, inspiring their own in the process. In practice, this means building a community and space where people can showcase their successes and career paths to others both in person and online - breaking down that representation barrier at the core.