WE’RE BACKING THE PLAY SAFE WEEKEND 2024

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Club highlights safeguarding campaign Play Safe

2024-09-27T10:00:00.000Z

WE’RE BACKING THE PLAY SAFE WEEKEND 2024

Club highlights safeguarding campaign Play Safe

2024-09-27T10:00:00.000Z

Club highlights safeguarding campaign Play Safe

English football unites this weekend to promote Play Safe - the national campaign to focus attention of the vital importance of safeguarding across our game.

Burnley Football Club is right behind Play Safe, which is endorsed by the NSPCC and supported across every level of English football, including the Premier League, EFL, Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclays Women’s Championship, men’s and women’s National Leagues and across the grassroots game.

Gary Russell, Burnley FC's Head of Safeguarding said: "The FA’s 'Play Safe' weekend is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on safeguarding, and at Burnley FC and Burnley FC in the Community, we want it to be at the heart of everything we do. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility - on the pitch, off the pitch, and especially in our community. It’s not just a policy; it’s our commitment to protect every fan, participant, player, coach, and staff member, whether at Turf Moor with our men’s and women’s teams or playing with friends at the local park.

"To further this commitment, I am delighted and proud that we have recently launched a dedicated ‘Matchday Safeguarding Team’ and brought on four new members to enhance the safety and wellbeing of everyone on match days. We’ll be sharing more details soon, but this is just one step in our ongoing mission to ensure everyone feels safe and protected.

"For more information, visit our Safeguarding pages on the Club or Community websites, or reach out to us via email. Together, we make sure that everyone can Play Safe."

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.

"Play Safe weekend is a fantastic way of raising the awareness of safeguarding and putting this at the forefront of people’s minds, not just for this weekend, but throughout the season. This year, we’re asking everyone to know their role in safeguarding and we look forward to seeing clubs at every level of the game showing their support across the weekend, to make sure football is safe, fun, and enjoyable for all.”

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.”

If you have a safeguarding concern, or would like some advice, the person to contact at Burnley Football Club is Head of Safeguarding Gary Russell on g.russell@burnleyfc.com.