Newcastle United Foundation pledges support for Play Safe Weekend 2024
Newcastle United Foundation and Newcastle United are joining English football clubs at every level uniting to promote Play Safe – a national campaign to focus attention of the vital importance of safeguarding in our national game.
Led by The Football Association, the Play Safe campaign 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.
Support will be shown across club channels and within workshops and Foundation programmes, whilst the captains of both Newcastle United and Manchester City will wear bespoke Play Safe armbands at St. James’ Park this weekend.
Both Newcastle United Foundation and Newcastle United Football Club are committed to being a place where everyone is safe, heard, valued and able to thrive with core safeguarding principles underpinning all Club and charity work.
Jonny Larkin, Safeguarding Manager at Newcastle United Foundation, said: “Ensuring all our participants have a positive and inclusive experience is at the heart of what we do at the Foundation across all of our programmes – whether that’s in schools, on the football pitch or in our community building, NUCASTLE.
“Newcastle United Foundation and Newcastle United are fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all individuals and communities we engage with every day, demonstrating best practice and working proactively to ensure everyone is safe, supported and empowered.
“We would encourage everyone involved in football to use the Play Safe weekend to consider their responsibility in keeping children and young people safe – no matter their role or position.
“Working together, we can create an ever-safer culture in football at every level.”
The FA’s Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group (FASSSAG) continues to support Play Safe. A spokesperson said: “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.
“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”.
Play Safe also aims to make parents and guardians, as well as staff at all levels of the game, aware of how they can help protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, also providing those young people with an understanding of the support available to them, should they require it.
If you have concerns about someone or something does not feel right, contact Newcastle United Foundation’s Safeguarding team by email foundation.safeguarding@nufc.co.uk
Alternatively, contact Newcastle United Football Club’s Safeguarding and Welfare team by email safeguarding@nufc.co.uk
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