A guide designed to help the sports media become more diverse will be launched today, 7 March, by the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS) in London.

The D Word2 Guide offers expert guidance on how to address under-representation across broadcast, written and online media in sport and is based on the contributions at the D Word 2 conference, organised as part of the Fare Football People action weeks in October 2016.

Research conducted by BCOMS last year found just one woman was sent to the UEFA EURO 2016 in France across 51 roles by British newspapers. Across 456 roles, just eight went to black journalists who had not previously played professional sport. Only six of the 456 roles went to black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women.

BCOMS founder Leon Mann will start the event with a short presentation of the guide, before a panel of top influencers from the industry form a panel to discuss diversity in the sports media, reflect on the positive achievements of diverse sports journalists, and explore the opportunities outlets such as YouTube offer the next generation.

The launch will also offer a unique networking opportunity to people working in sports journalism, as well as those hoping to break into the industry.