Measures including the controversial 'Rooney Rule' aimed at addressing the low number of black coaches and administrators in football were being proposed at a summit of key figures in the sport today.
Only five of the 92 English league clubs have a non-white manager despite 25 per of players being from black and ethnic minority (BME) communities.
The summit, chaired by sports minister Helen Grant and the Football Association's diversity chief Heather Rabbatts, included representatives from the FA, Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers' Association, plus anti-discrimination groups Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card.
Former England defender Sol Campbell also attended - he and the PFA have both called for a version of the Rooney Rule, which was named after the person who successfully introduced it into American football - to be introduced into the game. It would oblige clubs to ensure that shortlists for coaching and administration positions to have at least one candidate from BME backgrounds.
Grant confirmed that the Rooney Rule was part of the discussions.
The sports minister told Press Association Sport: "It is on the agenda as one of many matters that will be discussed and it will be interesting to hear what everyone has to say on it.
"We want there to be more BME coaches and managers, more administrators and more on football clubs' boards.
"This meeting will take stock of where we are, what has been achieved, and what remains to be done - and clearly a lot more still needs to be done."
A report in November by the Sports People's Think Tank - who were also part of the summit - identified only 19 of the 552 senior coaching positions in English football were filled by BME candidates.
The League Managers' Association, Sporting Equals, Asians in Football Foundation, and European anti-discrimination body FARE also attended the summit.
Rabbatts says work on the issue is already under way, such as an FA initiative aimed at providing minority coaches with the opportunity to gain experience within the England national team set-up.
She said: "There are very few black managers and we know that there are no black managers in charge of any of the academies across all of the clubs.
"It is a major issue, that we all have to focus on and prioritise. Why is it the case? It's very hard to sum up in a single line.
"But I think football has been what we might call a 'closed-system' and we need to open it up and make much more transparent how people are recruited. And I don't think that's just about managers and coaches, I think it's across all the different roles in football."
In November the Premier League announced it is to finance a scheme that every year will see six of 23 coach apprentice places reserved for coaches from BME backgrounds, with a further three places given to female coaches.
Earlier this week Campbell told BBC's Inside Out that the Rooney Rule would open the door for black coaches and administrators.
He said: "I think a version of the Rooney Rule will do that. We just want a level playing field."
Source: PA
