Play Safe is the Football Association’s national campaign to focus attention on the vital importance of safeguarding in our national game.
Here at Reading City Football Club safeguarding comes first, so whilst we ‘Play Safe’ every weekend. We are proud to be supporting this national iniatitive which sees English Football unite across one weekend, every season to highlight the importance of safeguarding.
The initiative is endorsed by the NSPCC and this weekend and this weekend will be supported across every level of English football in the men’s, women’s and grassroots games
This year’s Play Safe campaign focuses on the safeguarding role that everyone can play – coaches, players, parents/carers, spectators or volunteers – to keep children and young people safe, no matter what the football setting.
As Sue Ravenlaw, The FA Head of Safeguarding, says: “The central push behind this year’s Play Safe weekend is to create awareness among individuals of the vital safeguarding role they can play in football. It really is about Everyone Everywhere, Every Time.
Play Safe weekend is a fantastic way of raising the awareness of safeguarding and putting this at the forefront of people’s minds, not just for this weekend, but throughout the season. This year, we’re asking everyone to know their role in safeguarding and we look forward to seeing clubs at every level of the game showing their support across the weekend, to make sure football is safe, fun, and enjoyable for all.”
Crucially, Play Safe also has the full support of The FA’s Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group: “It’s essential that everyone in football – no matter if they’re actively involved, or on the sidelines – understands that they have an ongoing safeguarding role to play. Obviously Play Safe is 24/7 and 365, as is reflected in the Play Safe messaging of ‘Everyone, Everywhere and Every time’, but this weekend helps with raising awareness of how everyone can help to create safe and positive football spaces, what inappropriate behaviours look, sound, and feel like and importantly how to report concerns.”
If you have a safeguarding concern, or would like some advice, please contact Safeguarding@efl.com
Further information on the Play Safe campaign can be found here.
