Football is about having fun, being with friends, making new ones, playing games, trying new skills and being part of a team, if you want.

It should be fun to do all of these things - having fun is what is important. Sometimes adults get it wrong and do things which hurt, frighten or worry children. It doesn't happen often in football, but it does happen.

If a child is worried about the way an adult is behaving towards them, they feel threatened or frightened it is important they know who to tell and how to get help.
What they are experiencing might be child abuse.
Click on the links below if you want to see what advice and guidance is offered to children and young people including: know what child abuse is, who to tell, where to get help and advice, and what their rights are. There are links to lots of websites and telephone numbers they can call.

The best way to safeguard young people is to empower them – that is to help them understand what is and is not appropriate behavior. The ‘Be on the ball’ section of the TheFA.com is aimed at helping to do just that. So why not encourage the young people in your club to have a look at this site and the links it provides to safer use of the internet provided by the professionals simply click on the links below to find out more.