Equality

Football For All is the slogan that describes our work in promoting equality and in tackling discrimination and harassment. It includes developing opportunities for groups that are traditionally under represented in football eg women and girls, ethnic minorities and disabled people. And it covers all levels of football from playing, through coaching and officiating as well as administrative positions. The FA has a free phone number to report any concerns about Abuse or Discrimination of any kind Tel: 0800 085 0508 or email FootballForAll@TheFA.com

What is equality monitoring?
The County FAs and The FA need to know as much about participants in grassroots football as possible. In order to assist this we circulated a monitoring form with the club re-registration forms this year. The data received from this, for either last years squad or the coming season’s squad, will give us a snapshot of the make-up of grassroots football and we appreciate secretaries taking time to complete the form and return it. We recognise that this data may not be 100% accurate.

What equality data is collected about me as an individual for example in coaching and refereeing?
The information collected relates to age, gender, race, religion and disability. Monitoring is recommended by organisations such as the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission, Equal Opportunities Commission, Sport England and UK Sport, as a measure of the progress an organisation is making to eliminate discrimination and ensure it is open and inclusive.

What happens to it?
The information is analysed on a depersonalised basis and used to allow The FA to reflect on the demographic profile of football. This statistical evidence can then be used to target development work where there is clear under-representation.

Can I be traced by my data?
The FA will only disclose the results of the analysis in an anonymous form. We also respect a person’s right not to disclose information relating to disability, ethnic origin, gender or age, therefore, completion of the monitoring questionnaire is, therefore, not compulsory

How do I learn more?
The FA has developed two workshops as part of the Football For All programme. The first is the Football For All Equality workshop, which looks broadly at all the Equality issues, such as gender, race, disability, sexuality and social inclusion. The second – Football For All Race Equality, focuses more specifically on the issues of race and faith in football.