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🌈 Equality & Diversity in Football



“Football has the power to unite — but only when everyone has a place on the pitch.”

In the modern game, coaching excellence goes far beyond tactics and technique. The FA’s Equality & Diversity course empowers coaches, club officials, and volunteers to build inclusive, respectful environments where everyone feels safe, welcomed, and valued — no matter their background.


This course isn’t just about compliance. It’s about shaping a better football culture, where fairness and opportunity drive the game forward.


🌍 Why Equality & Diversity Matter in Football


  • Football is the world’s most diverse sport

  • Grassroots and elite environments must be inclusive for all

  • Discrimination in any form has no place in the game

  • Coaches and leaders set the tone for culture and behaviour


“Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice.”

📚 Course Overview: What You’ll Learn


🧠 1. Understanding Key Concepts


  • What “equality” and “diversity” really mean in practice

  • The difference between equality of opportunity and equity

  • How bias, prejudice, and discrimination can appear — overtly or subtly


💬 “It’s not enough to be ‘not racist’ — we must be actively anti-discrimination.”

🔎 2. Recognising and Challenging Discrimination


  • Types of discrimination: racial, gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation

  • Understanding direct vs indirect discrimination

  • Real-life case studies from football

  • The impact of discriminatory language, behaviour, and structures


⚠️ “Silence allows discrimination to grow — your voice matters.”

🤝 3. Creating Inclusive Environments


  • How to ensure your team, club, or school is welcoming to all

  • Adapting communication, coaching styles, and facilities

  • Encouraging a positive culture of belonging

  • Promoting equal access to opportunities in playing, coaching, and leading


🏳️‍🌈 “Diversity on the team strengthens the team.”

📋 4. Understanding FA Policies and Your Responsibility


  • Your legal and ethical duties under FA and Equality Act guidelines

  • How to report discrimination or unfair treatment

  • What to do if you witness or hear inappropriate behaviour

  • Being a proactive ally and role model


📣 “Change starts with the coach.”

🧑‍🏫 Course Format & Delivery


  • 💻 100% online, accessible learning

  • 🕒 Takes approx. 1 hour to complete

  • 🎥 Interactive modules, scenarios, and real-world football examples

  • 🧾 Certificate awarded on successful completion


🧠 It’s ideal for coaches, club officials, parents, and volunteers across all levels.


⚽ Why This Course Is Essential for Coaches


By completing the Equality & Diversity course, you’re:


✔ Actively promoting fairness in football

✔ Aware of unconscious bias and how to challenge it

✔ Equipping yourself to lead by example

✔ Contributing to a culture where everyone can thrive


“True coaching is about unlocking potential — in every player, from every background.”

🛡️ A Safer, Fairer, Better Game for All


The course reinforces your safeguarding knowledge by helping you:


  • Spot harmful behaviour before it escalates

  • Make sure underrepresented groups feel heard

  • Challenge inequality with confidence

  • Celebrate and promote diversity in your team or club


🌐 "The future of football is inclusive — and we all have a role in making it happen."

🏁 In Summary


The FA’s Equality & Diversity course is a key step in becoming a modern, inclusive, and responsible coach. It aligns with The FA’s Football Your Way and In Pursuit of Progress strategies — and it aligns with your values too.


When every player feels seen and respected, football becomes truly beautiful.


🌟 Building a Football Culture Where Everyone Belongs


Steve Halls is an FA qualified football coach offering consultancy, talent identification, mentoring and player representation in Cheshunt and the surrounding areas. In today’s interconnected world, Steve can offer his services to players, clubs, and organisations globally. With equality, integrity, and care at the heart of his work, Steve fosters environments where every player is given the chance to succeed — regardless of who they are or where they come from.










Report hate and protect our game




ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Together we can end hate in football

In grassroots football, hate has many faces

Hate reveals itself in players, in coaches, in spectators. It ruins the experience for everyone who’s there just to enjoy the game.

Report hate and protect our game

Too often, people who don’t want to make a scene feel they have no option but to stand by and let it happen. Until now. 

We’ll take action when you tell us

As our eyes and ears on the ground, we’re asking you tell us every time you see hate happening. You can report it anonymously if you wish, your report will always be confidential. When we know about it, we can take the tough action needed to remove the haters, with tougher sanctions than ever before.

Only when you do your part can we do ours 

Together, we can protect our game. It means not standing by or relying on others. It means stepping up by reporting abusive behaviour every time it happens, whenever and wherever you experience it.

When you report hate, we can take the steps needed to remove it, and together can protect the game we love.



What counts as hate?

In grassroots football, hate is verbal abuse, insulting gestures or prejudicial behaviour. Racism, sexism and homophobia are the most common hate incidents we hear about, but we want to hear about any form of discriminatory behaviour any time it happens. If it feels wrong to you, it will to others too.

What are the punishments?

Let us be clear, we will take the strongest action against those who ruin the game for others. Tough punishments for players, coaches and spectators – and anyone else – who behave in discriminatory ways include:

• Players will be removed from play • Players will be suspended for games • Clubs can have points deducted • Clubs can have their ground closed • Spectators will be asked to leave

Remember, reporting hate is the first step to removing it and protecting the game we love.

How do I report hate?

We need you to report abusive behaviour every time you experience it. Only then will we know it’s happened. Only then can we act to remove it.


You can report hate anonymously if you wish, or you can give us your name along with your evidence. This gives us a better chance of successfully punishing offenders. When you do your part, you can rely on us to do ours.


You can report anything you don’t like at any time, even after the match has finished. To make this easy, here are four ways of telling us:


• To report it to The FA click here • To report it to Kick It Out click here • Report it to your County FA • Report it to a Match Official




What support is available?

If you are a victim of hate or discriminatory abuse, we make specialist support available to you. Funded by The FA, this a range of mental health and emotional well-being services delivered by the charity Sporting Chance.

You will have access to between one and six counselling sessions, with extra sessions considered on an exceptional basis. These are face-to-face within 45 minutes of where you live, or by online platforms. The sessions:

• start with an assessment of how the incident has affected you, followed by a confidential and safe talking space with a skilled therapist

• then focus on assisting you in contextualising the incident in the context of your broader life

• will be followed by teaching on self-care


Together we can stop HATE!



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