English football came together to promote Play Safe – the national campaign to focus attention on the vital importance of safeguarding across our game.
LFE promotes the cause of Play Safe, endorsed by the NSPCC and supported across every level of English football, including the Premier League, EFL, Women’s Super League and Championship, men’s and women’s National Leagues and across the grassroots game.
Paul Stewart is a cornerstone of LFE’s Life Skills Programme providing crucial safeguarding awareness to academy players, parents and staff. His messages are both lived-experience and research-based, surrounding the importance of reaching out for help and knowing that help can make the biggest difference to enjoying football and life. Paul Stewart and clubs across the country shared messages of support ahead of the campaign weekend with understanding of why a dedicated time to raise the profile is necessary.
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.
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.”
Watch the ‘LFE Academies Support Play Safe’ video below.
