ClubReds back Play Safe campaign

Play Safe is being run in partnership with the NSPCC and has the full backing of the Premier League, EFL, FA Women’s Super League and the FA Women’s Championship. It is also supported and being run across every other level of the game.

The main element of Play Safe is a series of short films, which emphasise the importance of clubs such as ours having safeguarding embedded in all that we do. The films also explain to parents/carers and children themselves what to do if they feel unsafe or worried, because nothing matters more than making sure football is safe for everyone, especially children and young people.

John Pout, director of safeguarding at Liverpool FC, said: “We are proud to be supporting the FA’s Play Safe campaign to help raise awareness of the vital role that safeguarding plays in football.

“As a club, we ensure that safeguarding is at the forefront of all our work to make sure our players, staff and young community participants are protected and feel safe in an inclusive environment.

“The LFC Foundation is the first Premier League football foundation to hold an official partnership with the NSPCC, and so we already work closely with the charity on safeguarding training and awareness campaigns.”

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “As a youth-team coach, I will be working with my club to ensure we support the Play Safe messaging.

“I am also pleased that the campaign has the support of the former footballers with lived experience of abuse in football, who are on our Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group.”

The Group has collectively said: “Learning from the past is crucial, so that we can prevent the horrific experiences that happened to us, and so many others in football, from happening again.

“As a group of survivors, we fully support the ethos and important messages that Play Safe conveys – whether to club officials, parents/carers and/or, vitally, children and young people themselves.

“Equally important is that Play Safe is not a one-off campaign – it will be used at key points in the football calendar to remind everyone in football that children’s welfare and keeping them safe should be at the heart of all that we do.”

You will see Play Safe appearing at various points throughout the season to keep safeguarding front of mind in football. Together, we want to do everything we can so everyone – particularly children and young people – has a consistently positive experience of our great game.