Gillingham Football Club has achieved Bronze in the EFL Equality Code of Practice.
Gills award comes after the club successfully completed the EDI Code of Practice Assessment, which is a mandatory process set up by the EFL and assessed by the EFL/EDI team, and the `EFL Together` panel.
Each department within the club was set a list of criteria which it needed to meet for the club to be considered for EDI compliance.
The team was made up of ten people ranging from academy staff all the way to the Chairman and Board of Directors, who met on a monthly basis to discuss progress and what the club needed to action in order for the set criteria to be completed to an acceptable standard.
EDI Lead Officer, Dan Lambert said: "Although it has been a long process, I am delighted that the EFL has awarded us Bronze EDI compliance. The team behind the scenes at Priestfield, and those on the board, have worked really hard across their respective departments to earn this award, and we should be proud of the EDI working group that we have set up here at ME7.
"Having also achieved Bronze in the EFL Family Excellence Report, this sets us up nicely as we prepare for the next EDI Assessment, which takes place during the 2025/26 season, with 2024/25 being used as a development season.
"The club now looks forward to building on what we have already achieved during 2023/24."
EFL Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, David McArdle, said: “Our 72 Clubs represent communities of people from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds. The EFL’s Code of Practice is the foundation on which our work on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is built, providing Clubs with a clear framework and setting out exactly what they need to put in place to ensure the Club is reflective of the community at all levels.
“The progress being made is very encouraging and the EFL will continue to support and empower all Clubs to make a positive impact on their communities and the wider game.”
Initially launched in 2012, the EFL’s Equality Code of Practice was revamped to become a multi-level accreditation scheme at the start of the 2022/23 season, with 46 of the 72 EFL Clubs achieving at least Bronze by the end of the 2023/24 season.