The FA today (Monday 17 March) launches four short animated films detailing exactly what to do if you come across discrimination while attending or taking part in a football match.
Chair of Level Playing Field, Joyce Cook, OBE, has given her support to The FA’s new Reporting Discrimination films, released this week.
Joyce, a key member of The FA’s Inclusion and Advisory Board, said:
“I hope these new films become an important tool for fans, players and those working at all levels of the game.”
“The channels now exist to report discrimination of any kind including disability abuse, poor access for disabled fans, or sexism and gender inequality. It’s the job of everyone in football, from campaigning groups such as Level Playing Field and Women in Football, to the governing bodies, to ensure that these channels are easily available whenever they may be needed.”
The films, available to view on www.thefa.com, are based on the animations of Paul ‘You Are the Ref’ Trevillion and narrated by Dion Dublin and Graeme Le Saux respectively. The films have been produced to help fans and players at all levels of the game report discrimination seen or heard and provide clear and straightforward assistance in how to do so.
FA board member and chair of Inclusion Advisory Board, Heather Rabbatts, said:
“We know under-reporting of discrimination of in the game is an issue, therefore instilling confidence is key. The FA and the Inclusion Advisory Board has worked with stakeholders across the game in developing these films which hope to convey how easy it is to report.”
Lord Herman Ouseley, Chair of Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion campaign, said:
“Kick It Out welcomes any material that will increase knowledge amongst players and supporters of how to report discriminatory incidents which occur across the professional game and grassroots level.
“These films need to gain maximum exposure and be disseminated as widely as possible so that awareness of the reporting procedures reaches all the game’s stakeholders throughout the country.
“The free downloadable Kick It Out app features in the films and offers a quick, easy and discreet way of reporting incidents anonymously. Kick It Out encourages The FA to continue producing information on the reporting procedures to ensure equality can be achieved by all.”
Darren Bailey, The FA’s Director of Football Governance and Regulation said: “The FA has worked collaboratively to instil confidence in its reporting processes.
“We encourage anyone involved in the game who has witnessed or experienced any form of discriminatory abuse to report it.
“The films make it clear the various ways in which this can be done and are therefore a helpful tool in the overall fight against discrimination.
Graeme Le Saux highlighted the importance of addressing this issue in football:
“I was delighted to be involved in presenting these films on behalf of The FA. When discrimination takes place at any level of the game, we need to ensure that we can take positive action, and the best means of ensuring that is to encourage players and supporters to report it.”
Le Saux continued, “These films will help explain to players and supporters both the importance of reporting discrimination and highlight the many ways in which they can do so.”
The films, which are all subtitled, can be viewed by visiting www.thefa.com where information booklets explaining each film can be downloaded for free. The booklets can also be downloaded from the LPF website here.
For further detail on how you can utilise these films, please email PR Officer for Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination, Danny Lynch, on:
Danny.lynch@thefa.com or call 07983 961957