Reporting Discrimination in the Grassroots Game
Last season we had over 2000 people like you on this page wanting to report a discriminatory incident and wondering if this is the right thing to do. Fortunately, many did report and that gave us opportunities to challenge this behaviour and educate participants.
One of our main objectives at The FA is to deliver a game free from discrimination and we can’t do this alone. We rely on people like you taking the time to report incidents and for that, we want to say thank you.
This year, following a joint research piece with Kick It Out, we discovered that some people in our football community are not willing to report such incidents.
Non-reporting makes it harder to reach this objective and we strongly encourage you to report any incident that you feel should be investigated. When we investigate incidents, we will raise a charge if we feel that there is sufficient evidence that, on the balance of probability, an offence occurred. Over 70% of charges lead to a proven outcome with resulting sanctions against the offending party.
You may of course not wish to seek disciplinary action and charges. If that is the case, please tell us what your preferred outcome is. Even if that is the case, capturing the incident is important.
When you are detailing the incident, it is important that you give us the words used in full - as unsavoury as this may be - as we will need to ensure there is no opportunity for misinterpretation.
Do you need support reporting?
Would you like to talk to Sporting Chance, a funded professional talk therapy service to discuss the personal impact of this matter? Visit Sporting Chance's website here for more information.
Have you experienced or witnessed discrimination? Tell us, we’ll tackle it.
There are three options available:
1. To tell us as much as you can about a specific incident so we can investigate and potentially raise a charge
2. Anonymously inform us of something so that we are made aware of it
3. Inform us of something you are concerned about, and we will contact you to discuss further, so you can understand your options
The Football Association's Commitment To Support Victims of Discrimination
In recognition of the potential impact on individuals who receive discriminatory abuse, The FA partner with Sporting Chance to make support available to football participants who experience such abuse (directly, indirectly or through online platforms).
Reporting Discrimination as a Match Official
As a referee, you’re on the frontline. But you’re never alone, because ending discrimination and abuse is everyone’s responsibility. Here’s everything you need to know about reporting unacceptable behaviour during your matches.
Reporting social media abuse
Whether it’s in connection with professional or grassroots football, if you see a post on social media you believe is discriminatory, you can report it to The Football Association, through our online reporting form.