Make football safe, not sorry

The FA Tesco Skills Programme provides a fun, safe environment for children to play football. But to help every boy and girl in England enjoy the game, safeguarding children has to be everyone's responsibility.

Most children and young people have a fantastic experience through football – but sadly, some don't. Having welfare officers in all clubs and leagues with youth teams is crucial to The FA’s simple three part approach to safeguarding. This includes: 

• Getting the right people involved – all of our FA Tesco Skills coaches, have been FA CRB checked and attended Safeguarding Children workshop.
• Creating a safe environment – all of our Skills coaches use the Respect codes of conduct, adhere to FA’s best practice and are child focused.
• Promoting clear systems – all of our Skills coaches are familiar with The FA’s reporting procedures if there is a concern about the welfare of a child.

You can find out more about The FA’s safeguarding children work by visiting Safeguarding Children Service. There is also information for children, simply click here.  For more information about protecting your children when they are online, visit Thinkuknow. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre’s (CEOP) button will allow you to report concerns and find out more about the work they do.