Fulham inclusion lead promotes importance of male allyship in football clubs

Fulham FC inclusion lead Jamie Dapaah wants to promote the importance of male allyship at the South West London club and beyond.

Dapaah played an integral role in organising the Women’s Health Summit, in partnership with Elevate and Women in Football which provided invaluable insight for female professionals working within the football and wider sports industry.

Elevate are the UK’s leading workplace well-being provider who bring tailored programmes to employees and employers alike.

The company work with a number of Premier League clubs and have partnered Fulham FC for 18 months as they work to help create an inclusive space for all their workforce.

Dapaah said: “When we speak to women and look at their psychological safety and a sense of belonging in the workforce, it’s also a male responsibility to ensure we’re providing that platform for women feel their authentic selves.

“Allyship is key because you have to be visible, present, and supporting your female colleagues.

“For us as a football club, it is installed into every male at recruitment, we have to ensure there is a sense of value and duty to ensure you’re providing a safe space the women within the workforce.

“It was a hugely important event; the Women’s Health Summit is a dynamic initiative which will encourage conversations that speak directly to promoting a sense of belonging and psychological safety for women working within football and sport.”

Panels and speaker sessions focused on physical and mental well-being, stress management, nutrition, and a whole host of other discussion around topical issues.

Yvonne Harrison, CEO of Women in Football, a professional network representing 9,000 members working in and around the football industry, said she will use knowledge gained from the Summit to continue to drive positive dialogue within her personal and professional life.

She said: “Whether it was learning about personal health, nutrition and how we fuel our bodies, coping mechanisms with stress, or responsibility as leaders to bring these conversations to the fore, it’s perfectly normal for female, male and non-binary colleagues to be talking and socialising the idea of female health.

“My mind was buzzing with so much new knowledge, and I’ve taken away things that I can do personally to improve my performance, protect my space, and equally inspire my team as well.

“It's brilliant to be working with Fulham Football Club and Elevate on this Women’s Health Summit.

“It’s not something that we’ve done before, they bring a whole range of different expertise into our organisation which ultimately will benefit our members who have learned so much.”