The Importance of Choice (FA Best Practices open age disability football)

All adults have rights, including the right to self–determination– the right to make choices and decisions about their own lives.

Board Members, Managers and coaches may be seen as role models and be trusted and looked up to by Organ Transplant recipients. This relationship creates an Imbalance of power between Managers and coaches, known as a “relationship of trust”.

Managers and coaches in a relationship of trust with adults in adult open-age disability football should maintain clear boundaries. They should not coerce their opinions of that or the organisation on a player, which includes potential participants wanting to participate in multiple activities and organisations outside the team or club.

This behaviour goes against the England Transplant Football Club codes of governance and the FA’s new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021-2024.

If the relationship gets breached, it must be reported immediately to the Club Welfare Officer and the County FA Safeguarding Officer, which can pass it on to the National FA Designated Safeguarding Officer. You can find more information about reporting Safeguarding concerns can be found below.

Clubs and Organisations should engage players in the process of club decisions and the growth of the team.

Research shows an open environment where everyone can speak freely about their concerns. And where there is a culture of no secrets will be safer for all.

It is where a person can get treated less favourably because someone they are associated with has a protected characteristic—for example, a friend or family member.

Protected Characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity. Race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

Indirect Discrimination occurs where a neutral provision, criterion or practice (“PCP”) is applied, which puts ( or would put) a person with a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage.

In reported cases, a service provider applies the same policies and practices to everyone. But because of a protected characteristic, one group is more disadvantaged than others.

An example of this will be if another transplant sporting organisation excludes you from their club or events because you are associated with the England Transplant Football Club.

If you feel you have a club safeguarding concern, including direct or indirect Discrimination.

Chat in confidence at talk@transplantfootball.com

Or The FA National Safeguarding Officer at safeguarding@thefa.com

For cases of Discrimination, please report this to the Equality and Diversity Commision direct on 0808 800 0082 or complete the Online Form.

UK Sport – Leadership, Governance and Equality 

Sport England – Equality and Diversity

Activity Alliance – Safeguarding Concerns