"Football players and the teams they play for have a unique position in shaping the attitudes of boys and men," The FA and Premier League have received an open letter calling for action against gender-based violence.
Saturday 5 February 2022 15:00, UK
The End Violence Against Women Coalition, Level Up and The Three Hijabis have sent an open letter to the FA and Premier League calling for action against gender-based violence.
The FA and the Premier League were contacted by the three organisations after fierce criticism of Raith Rovers following the signing of David Goodwillie, who had previously been ruled guilty in a civil court of raping a woman.
Rovers would eventually reverse their decision to sign the striker after widespread condemnation.
A section of the open letter, which was sent to the FA and the Premier League, read: "This issue is not solely about individual players, but the industry that supports them; the clubs they play for, the leagues they compete in and the academies that train them.
"Football players and the teams they play for have a unique position in shaping the attitudes of boys and men. Their behaviour both on and off the pitch is influential, and transforming the culture in football will have a seismic impact on wider society.
"Now is the time for the FA and Premier League to show which side they are on when it comes to violence against women and girls. This means clubs committing to changing their culture, recognising that violence is rooted in inequality and driven by the need for power and control."
Level Up has also launched a public petition calling for authorities to "implement a zero tolerance policy on any gender-based violence".
The petition advocates a system based in the USA, where Major League Baseball and the NFL have public policies for players found guilty of domestic abuse, sexual violence or child abuse, who can be suspended without pay, or banned for life.
The groups have called on the governing bodies to take action in the following ways:
An FA Spokesperson said: "The FA strongly condemns violence and prejudice of any kind, including misogyny, and encourages anyone who has been the subject of, or witness to, this type of behaviour to report it to the Police and the relevant authorities so that it can be investigated.
"Violence and misogyny are societal issues. If incidents of this nature take place in a football environment, The FA will take the allegations extremely seriously and will take action within its jurisdiction. Any such case would be investigated once any criminal or statutory investigation is concluded."
A Premier League spokesperson said: "The Premier League strongly condemns any form of abuse or violence against women and girls and takes these issues extremely seriously. There are rules in place to ensure mandatory reporting of any incident of this nature to football authorities. The FA has the regulatory framework to enable them to take action against any affiliated individual or organisation who breach their policies or regulations.
"The Premier League runs workshops for academy and first-team players from U14s - U23s, addressing healthy and respectful relationships, with content including areas such as sexual relationships, seeking consent and understanding sexual harassment and bullying. Many clubs also supplement their offering with additional providers.
"We are constantly reviewing our work in this area and are currently developing a Gender Equality Strategy, which will directly address serious issues including tackling misogyny and violence against women and girls."
