Safeguarding at Children’s Sporting events

As an Investigations company, we have been asked on numerous occasions to covertly record the behaviour, actions, and verbal abuse directed towards Children, officials, and other persons present at grassroots Sporting events. All requests, up to this point, have been at children’s football matches in F.A. leagues. We are also aware that this is going on in other sports.

Up to now, we have always refused these requests as we believe that these environments should be about transparency and being overt – we want those responsible not to conduct themselves in such a manner and be aware they will be recorded/reported. Also, there are those in society who would use the ‘covert’ method for personal gain – we do not wish to give them an excuse for using any form of covert technology to record children’s Sporting activities.

Technology is now available to be deployed and shared between teams which both assists the team itself, allows parents to have a record of their child’s play and also has an audio recording option.

We believe that where this technology is available, no team has the right to refuse its deployment at an event.

We are currently liaising with the F.A. and have proposed a draft memorandum of understanding that can be disseminated between clubs prior to playing. It gives clubs a pathway for refusal of the deployment of such technology in plenty of time prior to a game. However, where such a refusal is requested, the pathway also outlines steps and possible penalties for such a refusal.

We will be brutally honest – we cannot see why a club would not want all children/persons attending an event to be protected and any offenders dealt with and removed from these environments.

The F.A. can only be commended currently on their plans to deal with abuse, the introduction of body cams for referees being the latest proactive step taken.

We understand grassroots teams cannot all afford this technology. We are now in a position to allow free use of this technology to clubs where it is deemed proportionate for deployment if certain criteria is met. If you feel that the above is for you, get in touch.

If you don’t need it, then it’s there for you when you do.

Let’s stamp out the abuse.