UK Grime rapper, Stormzy, has teamed up with Adidas in a bid to fight racial inequality in football.

Today, the Blinded By Your Grace rapper announced the launch of #Merky FC with Adidas on board.Stormzy and Adidas have also partnered with ten big brands, including Sky Sports, Manchester United, Fulham and LADBible, to form the multi-year initiative, Merky FC. Merky FC is open to candidates of all backgrounds, however, applicants aged 18-24 from black or mixed-black backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply. The programme will begin in January 2023 and will provide applicants with football career opportunities, mentoring and placements with Adidas and the other 10 brands involved. Stormzy's decision to create this opportunity comes after figures demonstrated a lack of senior roles in football being held by black people.

The figures showed that only 6.7% of senior roles belonged to people of black backgrounds, despite 43% of Premier League players being from black backgrounds.The figures came from a report last month which revealed that English football is failing to meet diversity targets as part of the FA's leadership diversity code. Stormzy expressed "That statistic is embarrassing.

I don't think it is anything short of embarrassing."If you can see that representation on the pitch with all the players, then it should at least be backed up by people in positions of power, positions of influence outside of being an actual footballer. "Hopefully with what we're doing, we can drive a change."64% of Black British youths said they want to become a footballer, however, research showed just 0.012% will make it to the Premier League.

52% of young black women said they would want a role in football, however, 40% do not believe they will make it due to their gender. Adidas also found that 27% of young black people felt one of the biggest challenges of getting into the industry was the lack of information available on off-pitch roles.Stormzy said "We barely see any black Team Managers, Coaches, Sports Presenters, Assistants, Ops Managers, Sales Managers, Accountants, Marketing Managers or Physiotherapists - the list goes on, nor are many of us even aware of the vast roles available within the football industry," With the support of Adidas and the additional 10 partners, we will be in a position to aid the people who may have experienced disadvantages during their football career pathway. We strongly encourage other companies to join us in our mission."

Adidas also said "We are passionate about providing inclusive opportunities to young talent in the UK. We are proud to be working in partnership with Stormzy to introduce #Merky FC, an initiative that directly tackles some of the biggest barriers facing UK youth in football today, by creating a legacy of career opportunities off the pitch alongside the other partners. Along with the support of our network of Adidas partners, we are committed to fighting for equal representation in football, and this launch is only the beginning for #Merky FC. Watch this space."