Who We Are – News – Chef: Don’t be afraid to be yourself and challenge

• Joyce Cook OBE will be speaking to FIFA.com on International Women’s Day
• Cook is one of four women sitting on FIFA’s governing body
• FIFA has firmly used the football platform to make a positive impact on society, says Cook

Joyce Cook is FIFA’s Chief Education and Social Responsibility Officer and has been a leading voice for LGBTIQ + and the disabled community, as well as a passionate advocate for equal rights in sport and society. social in general.

Since joining FIFA in 2016, Joyce has played a key role in delivering FIFA’s renowned football development program – FIFA Forward – as well as several other FIFA initiatives in the field of defense, rights human and diversity and inclusion.

As part of a series for International Women’s Day 2021 celebrating women at FIFA, FIFA.com sat down with Joyce to hear about what she had learned and her insights from a career in sport and advocacy spanning almost 20 years, as well as an update on the steps FIFA is taking to diversify & promote inclusion and protection in football.

You have had a very successful and diverse career journey to date, supporting countless NGOs and promoting equal rights within and outside of sport. What was your journey like and who inspired you during your career?

I started my career in the field of microbiology, nursing and then medical sales. It was in the early 2000s where I began to work actively in the football industry, first in improving accessibility in a football stadium and then followed by other areas of application. , including gender, discrimination and equal rights. That being said, I am an avid football fan and have been going to games for much of my adult life.

In terms of my motivation, there has been so much in my career. Florence Nightingale and Rosa May Billinghurst are two women from history I look up to. Both passionate women, who were very progressive in their fields of nursing and women’s rights and who changed the world for the better.

Since joining FIFA in 2016, you have worked with a number of organizations across football, including member associations, NGOs and key policy makers in sport and beyond. away. What is FIFA’s approach to Diversity & Inclusion?

Diversity and inclusion is a key issue for FIFA. We are passionate about encouraging communication and we recognize the unique platform that football has to reach people. In particular, we deliver programs that not only aim to raise awareness and promote a better understanding of key social issues, but also use the unique impact and reach of football to engage people. into a positive way. One recent example was the #SafeHome campaign to end domestic violence campaigns. FIFA also develops special promotional campaigns and bidding campaigns for FIFA competitions with host countries as well.

We have ongoing work with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SCDL) to protect workers’ rights, as well as anti-discrimination training programs, and a range of diversity and inclusion initiatives for the Scottish Cup. FIFA World Cup in Qatar next year. examples.

Overall, as part of its overall vision, FIFA continues to support a range of development and leadership programs for women in football, as well as running various internal initiatives. , such as the FIFA Women ‘s Network to provide support and advice to staff.

We are acutely aware that football is challenging and not free from issues that affect society at large. A key part of my role is to develop programs and initiatives to help address these issues. FIFA is open and committed to listening and engaging with key stakeholders, and other experts, to see how we can support wider awareness raising, such as coming together to the recent #ActTogether campaign to promote equitable access to vaccines.

FIFA has also taken a number of important steps in the field of defense through the FIFA Guardians program. How important will this field be for football over the next few years?

Child protection and safeguarding is another area on which FIFA takes a strong leadership stance, and something we take very seriously.

As part of the FIFA Defenders program – and a toolkit launched by FIFA in July 2019 – and together with the Open University, we have launched a major new defense education program – the FIFA Defenders Diploma in Sport – designed to serve as a professional defensive officer and to educate and build defense capability across football, particularly within our 211 member associations.

The response so far has been overwhelmingly optimistic with almost 800 learners signing up for course one, with the first webinar taking place last month. Defending the field is in football where we feel a lot more can be done. It is absolutely essential that football organizations, especially member associations, go through to community clubs, take this seriously and put in place proper safeguards to protect children and vulnerable adults. protection from harassment and abuse.

At FIFA, we continue to invest in and develop long-term programs with this in mind, as well as further strengthening existing reporting and legislative processes.

We will also soon be launching a special protection program for FIFA tournaments, which will be another important step in ensuring that children or adults can play football in a safe environment and who can help and support. seek when things happen.

Finally, this year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. What is your message to football and women and girls around the world?

I think my #choosetochallenge message on International Women’s Day for other women and girls would be to consider every step as an opportunity to learn more, trust your instinct and not be afraid to be yourself and challenge. Of course, it is your fundamental right to do so.

This article is part of our series on women’s and women’s football in football to mark 2021. International Women’s Day. To find out more about FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy and development programs, and to read other articles like this, click here.