Safeguarding the future of Football

Ensuring young people can make their voices heard 

If we are to build a bright future for football in our county, we need to ensure the voice of young players, coaches, referees and volunteers are heard. At Hertfordshire FA we are committed to helping children have the best possible experience in football. 

Children of all ages tell us the main reason they play football is to have fun and be with friends, and we believe that every child should be free to enjoy the game. If you are a young person who is having a difficult time, there are lots of people who can help you, so don’t be afraid to tell someone about it.

That could be your Mum, Dad, or whoever looks after you at home. It could be the Coach of your team, the Welfare Officer at your club or our Designated Safeguarding Officer. Just remember you don’t have to keep it to yourself if something is not right. Let us know and we can help.

There are also lots of organisations outside of football who can help young people, like those listed below.

Know Your Rights

A child is someone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. Once they turn 18, they are then legally an adult. As a society we all have a responsibility to ensure children are protected. All children have the right:

• To feel safe both online and offline;
• To healthy relationships and appropriate boundaries;
• Not to be bullied, harassed or intimidated;
• Not to feel uncomfortable or unsafe;
• Not to be discriminated against

If any of these things are happening to you then you should talk to someone you trust, like a parent or other family member, a teacher or maybe the coach of your football team. Once they know something is wrong they can help make sure it doesn't happen again. 

Get Involved

Could You Help Shape the Future of Football?

Involving young people in making decisions that affect them is important. Not only does it mean that they are more likely to have a positive experience, but also it gives them a sense of ownership and the chance to learn new skills.

For football to continue thrive in the future we must encourage and embed an ethos of community volunteering in the younger generation and bring these young people through into leadership positions in the structures of clubs and leagues.

We are committed to ensuring young people are actively involved in the development of the game. Our staff are keen to support any Club that is interested in starting a Youth Forum and have produced a guide to help get you started.

For our part, Hertfordshire FA also has its own Youth Council, while The FA also has a National Youth Council both of which aim to provide a voice for young people to influence change and develop a lasting legacy in football.

Youth Forum Getting Started Guide

Tell us what you think

Help us make the game even better

Sometimes grown ups might think they are making football enjoyable for young people, when really what they are doing is making it worse. This means it's really important that you tell us what you like about football and what you don't.

So if there's something great in football you'd like to see more of, let us know. Or if there's something about football you wish didn't happen, tell us about that too. That way we can learn from it and try to improve things for everybody.

Complete our Survey

See the results of our previous survey and what we did about them on this page.