Football club charities unite to strengthen safeguarding across the game

This weekend, English football will again come together to champion safeguarding across the game as part of the Play Safe Weekend, taking place on 3 and 4 October 2026. Last week, safeguarding experts across the network gathered at Fulham FC's Craven Cottage for the Premier League Foundation and EFL in the Community joint second safeguarding conference.

Centred around the theme of A Safer Workforce , and hosted by TV and Radio Presenter Amber Sandhu, the event brought together more than 60 club charities, alongside guests and staff from the Premier League Foundation and EFL in the Community.

Designated Safeguarding Leads heard from sector experts and club charity practitioners, sharing ideas and practical approaches on areas including safer recruitment, maintaining a safer workforce and creating safer pathways.

Opening the conference, Alex highlighted the vital role safeguarding plays across the network:

"Every week, football club charities engage hundreds of thousands of children, young people and adults through programmes focused on education, employability, health, wellbeing and community safety.

"None of that impact is possible without trust. Safeguarding isn't separate from our work. It's the foundation on which all of our work is built."

Speaking about the collective responsibility organisations share in creating safer environments, Joe said:

"Our role is so much stronger when we do this together. The support we provide to the network of football club charities goes from strength to strength through collaboration.

"If everyone leaves with one idea that improves their organisation and one new connection that expands their support network, that's success."

A leading expert in youth engagement and safeguarding, Dr Junior Smart OBE emphasised the importance of relationships when supporting young people.

"Any work that's happening with young people has to be relational. It doesn't matter what kind of policy you have in place, it won't really work without relationships.

"Only through relationships can we truly understand what's going on for a young person and identify risks that might never be disclosed."

Alongside expert insight, delegates heard practical examples from club charities about embedding safeguarding into everyday practice and decision-making.

Ruth highlighted the importance of ensuring young people's voices help shape safeguarding approaches.

"It's about really living what you mean by youth voice. Not assuming we know what young people want, but asking them how they want their voice to be heard.

"Are those voices heard in recruitment? Are they heard in delivery? Are they heard at trustee level? It's about empowering young people to use their voice, not just assuming we know how that voice should be heard."

For Thea, creating a culture where staff feel empowered to speak up is where it starts.

"A safer workforce comes down to organisational culture. Do staff feel empowered to report concerns? Do they feel empowered to challenge one another when they need to?

"We have passionate people doing brilliant work. The challenge is making sure complacency never creeps in and safeguarding remains part of everyday practice."

The day also explored how football club charities can create safer pathways for young people progressing from participants into volunteering and employment opportunities.

Drawing on his own experiences within the network, Martin shared the importance of making young people feel genuinely valued and heard.

"Young people need to feel heard, seen and safe. You might not get an honest answer the first time you ask how they're doing, but if you consistently show interest and care, you become a trusted adult and create a safe space.

"We can't assume young people just know how to move through those pathways. We need to be intentional, create opportunities for them to gain experience and continue supporting them at every stage."

He also explained that safeguarding leadership must be visible throughout organisations.

"Safeguarding isn't just the responsibility of one person. It includes chief executives, trustees, managers and delivery staff. Keeping safeguarding at the front of everyone's mind starts with leadership."

For Stephen, strong relationships both within the organisation and with external partners are hugely important when it comes to keeping participants safe:

"Safeguarding is everybody's responsibility, and that goes beyond club colours.

"Having opportunities to learn from colleagues with different experiences is incredibly valuable because nobody can be an expert in everything."

Highlighting the practical learning provided through the workshops, Kayleigh said:

"The theme of safer recruitment has been a key focus throughout the day. It's essential that we're bringing the right individuals into our organisations to support the communities we serve."

"Sharing good practice across the network is hugely important because every organisation has something valuable to contribute."

The conference aligned closely with this year's Play Safe campaign, encouraging everyone in football to 'Keep Up The Convo' with children and young people throughout the season.

The campaign emphasises that safeguarding is not only about knowing what to do when concerns arise, but creating regular opportunities for young people to speak openly, share what matters to them and know their voices will be heard.

The Premier League Foundation is committed to creating safe, inclusive environments for people of all ages. The charity has safeguarding policies and procedures in place that governs its own activities, as well as rules and requirements that govern the safeguarding arrangements at all funded professional football club charities across the Premier League and EFL. Every professional football club charity funded through the Premier League Foundation has a designated safeguarding lead in place, helping to ensure that people can participate in community programmes and activities safely, fulfil their potential and positively impact their local area. Find out more about our commitment to safeguarding: Safeguarding - Premier League Foundation