Love Football. Protect The Game.
As the new season is now upon us Wolves 18877 Trust would appeal to all Wolves fans to embrace the ethos of ‘Love Football. Protect the Game.’
As reported on the FSA Website - https://thefsa.org.uk/news/football-unites-to-improve-participant-fan-behaviour-2023-24/ the games governing bodies and football supporters have united to bring an end to unacceptable player and fan behaviour.
The English football authorities are introducing a series of measures to help improve the behaviour of players, managers and coaches across the professional, National League system and grassroots game, as well as addressing the issue of football tragedy abuse.
New policies, procedures, and regulations will come into force from the start of the 2023-24 season, to address unacceptable conduct on the pitch, on the side-lines and in the stands, to ensure that the actions of the minority do not spoil the game for all.
This builds on the work carried out throughout last season to combat dangerous and illegal fan behaviour, supported by the ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ football-wide campaign.
Time to end the abuse. Keep the passion and lose the poison.
To challenge the totally unacceptable presence of football tragedy abuse, for season 2023-24, regulation changes and tough new measures have been introduced which will see people who are found to have committed offences face stadium bans and potential criminal prosecution.
The issue is focused on offensive chanting, gesturing and displaying offensive messages based on football-related tragedies, which causes significant distress to the victims’ families, survivors and affected-club supporters. Football authorities, supporter groups and law enforcement organisations, including the police and Crown Prosecution Service, have united to crack down on fans who participate in this vile form of abuse.
In addition to bans and criminal sanctions, a range of in-stadium, in-classroom and online resources will be rolled out under the ‘Love Football. Protect the Game.’ banner, to educate adults and children alike about the hurt tragedy chanting causes.
Ground regulations have also been updated to incorporate references to tragedy chanting.
The game will also continue its efforts to combat dangerous, illegal and unwelcome behaviour off the pitch, be it in the stands or online. Last season a host of new measures were introduced by authorities which saw enhanced sanctions applied for people identified entering the pitch, using pyros, taking drugs to games, throwing objects or for discriminatory abuse.
Joe Blott, FSA National Council member: “The FSA welcomes the work that has been done to address the growing concern about football tragedy abuse. Vital to its success will be education and the role supporters have in developing empathy and understanding, talking about the negative and harmful impacts, but so too is recognition of consequences for supporters who continue to participate in such behaviour.
“Supporters have a long track record of policing ourselves so it’s vital that we show real leadership and demonstrate our opposition to tragedy chants, gestures and slurs at all grounds and on social media. Lets Keep the passion and lose the poison.”