A Guide to Diversifying and Transforming Football Leadership

Prof. Dr. Jacco van Sterkenburg is an Endowed Professor in the Department of Media & Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam, focusing on 'Race', Inclusion, and Communication, particularly in relation to football and media. He obtained his PhD from Utrecht University in 2011 and has an MA in Psychology with a specialization in Cross-Cultural Psychology. His research interests encompass football and racism, media inclusion and diversity, and the roles of race, ethnicity, and gender within sports media and leadership. He supervises several PhD candidates and has held visiting faculty positions at various universities, including Leeds Beckett University and Victoria University Melbourne. Additionally, he serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Communication and Sport and is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Sociology of Sport Association. Prof. van Sterkenburg's teaching covers intercultural communication, racism, inclusion, and audience reception research, contributing to a deeper understanding of societal issues surrounding race and representation in sports.

Palesa Mashigo is a lecturer and PhD candidate at Erasmus University Rotterdam, affiliated with the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication. She recently received the Best Paper award for Early Career Researchers at the 6th annual Sports and Discrimination Conference for her project examining racism in European football culture, supervised by Prof. Jacco van Sterkenburg. Her research focuses on diversity in football and aims to support women and individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds in pursuing careers within the sport. Palesa has contributed to various scholarly publications, including works on racial perceptions in football leadership and the representation of diversity in media. She is also involved in developing educational resources, such as a MOOC on diversifying football leadership. With a strong commitment to addressing issues of race and inclusion in sports, Palesa continues to engage with both academic and public discourse on these critical topics.