Racist behaviour has been on the rise across all forms of grassroots football since COVID restrictions were eased, according to the Staffordshire FA.
Kick It Out, one of football’s biggest equality and inclusion organisations, stated there were still 87 cases of racist incidents reported during the 2020/2021 season, despite COVID-19 impacting most of the season.
Gareth Thomas at Staffordshire FA explained how they dealt with the rise of racist incidents within the grassroots game.
He said: “It is our responsibility to raise awareness of good practice within the county, deal with discrimination cases in an appropriate manner, and to educate leagues, clubs, players and volunteers within the game.
“At Staffordshire FA we are committed to increasing opportunities for all and increase the involvement of diverse communities at all levels of football, by taking positive steps to address any barriers.”
Staffordshire FA are a football organisation who are responsible for efficiently governing and developing the local game around the Black Country area.
Mr Thomas believes more education would support the efforts to eliminate racism from all forms of the game.
He added: “Any positive initiatives which can assist in the fight against racism are welcomed, and the County FA will continue to support all initiatives from The FA to continue to educate people via our respective networks.
“We fully support and promote campaigns such as ‘Kick It Out’ to tackle all forms of discrimination, to enable football to be experienced for all in a safe & enjoyable environment.”
Support is now also being provided by West Midlands Police who have implemented hate crime officers across all forms of football to try and eradicate the rising abuse against footballers and fans.
If you have had encountered any racist behaviour at your grassroots football game, contact the Staffordshire FA at 01785 256994 for support.
