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DFC's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

Darlington Football Club has existed since 1883 and has been fan-owned since 2012. It is a club with its roots at the heart of its local community.

The role that Darlington Football Club plays in the lives of many different groups of people across the town and wider region cannot be underestimated and it provides interest, passion and enjoyment for thousands of supporters.

As such, people are the lifeblood of the club. This is regardless of gender assignment or expression, sex, sexual orientation, race (ethnic origin, colour, nationality and national origin), age, disability, religion/belief or pregnancy/marital/civil partnership status.

We actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion in all our behaviours, practices and values at Darlington Football Club, whether as a player, official, staff member, volunteer or matchday spectator.

We aim, therefore, to bring people together through football in a way that supports positive change, makes people feel valued and improves the lives and inclusive experience of our fans and wider community.

Regardless of your background or personal circumstances, it is fundamental to our values that everyone should be made to feel welcome at Darlington Football Club.

We are committed, therefore, to confronting and eradicating any form of discrimination and to ensuring that we treat everyone fairly and with respect, providing access and opportunities for all members of the community to enjoy their matchday experience and wider engagement with us.

At Darlington Football Club, we are proud to represent every part of our diverse community and for those that don't share these views, we will not compromise on our values.

Here are our key positions on ED&I:

  • We have zero-tolerance towards discriminatory language, abuse, chanting and behaviour of any kind.
  • We expect our community to behave towards others in a manner consistent with principles of fairness, respect and tolerance.
  • We find hateful behaviour based on any form of discrimination wholly unacceptable.
  • We don't want you at Darlington Football Club if you can't accept that, or if you behave in a manner that is incompatible with these values.

What you should do if you see or hear anything you find offensive or inappropriate at Blackwell Meadows:

  • We encourage you, if you see or hear racist, sexist, homophobic, or other behaviour of hate or division to use any of our reporting mechanisms. Collecting evidence quickly and efficiently allows us the best chance to deal with any incidents:
  • Please report what you see or experience to any of our matchday stewards.
  • Alternatively email report@darlingtonfc.org with as much detail as possible.
  • Fans can also phone Kick It Out on 0800 169 9414, send an email to info@kickitout.org or contact Kick It Out on social media via @kickitout on Twitter or Facebook/kickitout/official.

Our commitments to you are as follows:

  • We will thoroughly investigate such incidents and any behaviour from an individual or group, which is calculated to divide our fans and community, or cause trouble.
  • We will deal with this appropriately and expediently, which may result in a banning order or ejection from our ground.
  • We will continually review our methods, approach and means of dealing with such behaviour to help prevent further incidents.
  • We believe that being inclusive and welcoming is an important part of what will make us unbeatable, and the team that everyone in our community will be proud to support and be associated with.

Darlington Football Club is for anyone and everyone. For the fans, by the fans...

This Policy is fully supported by the club's Chief Executive and all members of both the Darlington Football Club Board of Directors and DFCSG (Darlington Football Club Supporters Group) Board of Directors.