Derbyshire County Cricket Club does not tolerate prejudice or discrimination of any kind and as such is deeply saddened by the recent allegations of racism within cricket.
We would like to thank Azeem Rafiq and his fellow professionals for their bravery and openness in speaking out about the prejudices they faced.
It is completely unacceptable that any player, supporter or anyone associated with cricket has experienced racism within the game.
While it is pleasing to hear Azeem speak positively about his brief time with Derbyshire, as a Club, we are acutely aware that we must listen to and thoroughly investigate any allegations which are raised and encourage individuals to come forward should they have any concerns they wish to discuss.
We are committed to representing the diverse county of Derbyshire across all areas of the Club and are proud to have multicultural representation from Board level throughout our on and off-field staff.
Over one third of the Club’s Non-Executive Directors are from an ethnic minority background and an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion working group was setup in 2020 following the non-executive appointment of a HR & Safeguarding Director, and tasked with driving positive change and developing an education programme across the Club.
As part of that process, the Club is committed to working closely with key stakeholders, including the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation, community leaders and Derby City Council to make the game at all levels more inclusive.
While we have made progress in recent years, we must continue to grow and this is not a process which starts or ends with any one incident – it is an ongoing priority for the Club to positively impact the professional, pathway and recreational forms of the game to ensure we reflect and adapt the ever-changing cultural diversity of our sport and wider society.
The Club can be contacted directly via [email protected], or alternatively contact the independent reporting services set up by the England & Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers’ Association: [email protected] or [email protected].
