The Football Association (FA) is providing free counselling and mental-health support to victims of hate and discrimination in grassroots football in England. The initiative, funded by the FA, is delivered by the charity Sporting Chance, founded by former England and Arsenal defender Tony Adams.
Discriminatory abuse is rising at grassroots level, with 70% of participants—including players, referees, and spectators—telling the FA that poor behaviour has a major impact. In the 2023-24 season, charges related to discrimination increased by 17%, and serious misconduct allegations rose by 13%.
Victims accessing the service will receive up to six counselling sessions, with additional support available in exceptional circumstances, either in person or online. They will also be taught self-care methods. The FA is also cracking down on bad behaviour through tougher sanctions and encouraging incident reporting.
However, many incidents go unreported; 70% of grassroots participants doubt that reporting leads to charges, though the FA says 63% of reports result in charges. In the 2023-24 season, 71% of charges were proven, with an average ban of seven games for discriminatory offences. A record 5,500 match bans were issued, and offenders completed 1,300 hours of educational courses.
The FA has continued its behaviour improvement programme, monitoring clubs through disciplinary records and respect scores. New measures include a captains-only protocol, cooling-off periods for heated matches, and body cameras for referees in some leagues. About 15 million people play grassroots football in England, and the FA aims to increase this by 200,000 by 2028.
