On Thursday 7 September representatives from 16 Competitions across Berks & Bucks joined members of the County FA and The FA at the home of Wycombe Wanderers FC to discuss ways to work together to tackle poor behaviour in grassroots football.

The forum began with a welcome and introduction by Martin Law, the newly appointed Grassroots Football Director at Berks & Bucks FA. Nathan Batchelor, The FA’s National Grassroots Leagues Services Manager then spoke passionately about the importance of collaboration and innovation in ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of grassroots Leagues, as well as the benefits of England Football Accreditation at a League level. 

Following this, Berks & Bucks FA’s Head of Governance, Alastair Kay, presented the County’s strategy for tackling poor behaviour, drawing on 13 initiatives across four key categories such as County FA Discipline Operations and Club and League Networks. 

Representatives then split into two groups for the key session to network and discuss how their Leagues and the County FA can and do work together to identify poor behaviour and act early to avoid issues escalating. The theme of the evening was very much around working collaboratively to engage participants and address concerns, ensuring football remains a safe, inclusive and enjoyable environment for everyone taking part.

We would like to thank everyone who attended. The engagement, ideas and passion from everyone in attendance was clear to see. As Liz Verrall, Chief Executive Officer at Berks & Bucks FA said in her closing remarks, football is in safe hands.

For more information about tackling poor behaviour in grassroots football, please contact Alastair Kay, Head of Governance, via email. 

For any queries regarding Safeguarding please contact our Designated Safeguarding Officer, Graham Fisher via email. Alternatively, please visit our dedicated Discipline and Safeguarding pages.