THE proportion of British Premier League players from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds has DOUBLED since the 1992-93 season.
According to research from talkSPORT, the percentage of players from BAME backgrounds has rocketed from 16.5 per cent 25 years ago to 33 per cent today.
On the opening day of the first Premier League season, just 36 of the 218 British players in the starting line-ups were from BAME backgrounds.
Lord Ouseley, founder and chair of anti-racism organisation Kick It Out, said: “These statistics do not surprise me and I expect the proportion to go on increasing in the Premier League.
“Young black footballers know now that if they are good enough they will not be discriminated against because if managers are prejudiced they would be cutting off their noses to spite their face."
Meanwhile, chair of the FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board, Paul Elliott echoed that sentiment.
He said: “It is a testament to the game and to those black players who have been prepared to work hard and sacrifice in order to make it.”
Former England striker Les Ferdinand said: “I feel a sense of joy and pride that players are being recognised for their abilities rather than their colour at the moment.
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“You have to thank the likes of Cyrille Regis, John Barnes, Brendon Batson and Viv Anderson. They came first, took a lot of stick and paved the way.
"They showed that black players did have ability and did have skill.”
It's clear the Premier League has come a long way since its 1992 inception.
After all, at Euro 96, just SEVEN per cent of England's players - Paul Ince and Sol Campbell - came from BAME backgrounds.
Fast forward to Euro 2012 and that number had sky-rocketed to 50 per cent.
Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Joleon Lescott, Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jermain Defoe and Theo Walcott all played five years ago in France.
However, Ouseley added that there is still work to be done, as off-field issues still remain.
He claimed: “Off-field opportunities are still extremely limited and that is where the problem remains for football.”
Elliott agreed, saying: “What we want to do now is make that next step, so that BAME players can move into coaching, into management and into boardrooms with the same equal opportunities as they enjoy on the field of play.”
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