Women and girls in football do have a voice
#ChangeTheStory: Nottinghamshire FA’s journey to White Ribbon Accreditation
By Rachael Wilks
In July 2022, Nottinghamshire Football Association (FA) identified a three-fold rise in safeguarding and discipline cases linked to poor behaviours and attitudes among its members. As the Designated Safeguarding Officer, I saw an increase in the referrals I made to statutory agencies regarding grassroots participants experiencing domestic abuse.
With such a serious issue impacting both grassroots football and society in general, Nottinghamshire FA got to work to address these misogynistic behaviours and attitudes towards women and girls. We knew we needed to create meaningful partnerships to drive forward the positive culture change required to create a safer society for women and girls.
I know well the devastating ripple effect domestic abuse has across a community. In a previous life, I spent many years investigating high-risk domestic abuse crimes and I feel passionately about ending domestic abuse. There are many traumatic incidents imprinted in my memory which I will never forget.
At its best, football is an inclusive sport and provides a great opportunity to deliver prevention methods to men and boys and to empower women and girls -- just as sport in general can be an effective way to engage individuals on this issue, especially those opposed to, or uncomfortable in, formal education settings.
With the fresh success of the England Lionesses becoming European Champions, there was never a better time to connect with White Ribbon UK, who’d just launched #TheGoal campaign to address gender-based violence in sport. The decision to engage with White Ribbon UK’s prevention work enabled Nottinghamshire FA to work on creating a positive and safe organisational culture, with knowledgeable staff who can recognise and address violence towards women and girls.
At the same time, we also partnered with fellow White Ribbon Accredited Organisation Broxtowe Women’s Project (BWP), a Nottinghamshire-based domestic abuse charity providing safe spaces for survivors to heal. To mark White Ribbon Day 2022 , which coincided with the men’s FIFA World Cup, Nottinghamshire FA co-hosted an awareness-raising event at Nottingham Forest FC with BWP and White Ribbon UK. A variety of organisations attended the event and were keen to join Nottinghamshire FAs White Ribbon Steering Group to influence how Nottinghamshire FA could drive gender equality across the evolving landscape of grassroots football.
Since last year, domestic abuse training has been provided to Nottinghamshire FA staff; my colleagues and I made the White Ribbon Promise; and wherever we go we wear our White Ribbons to raise awareness and start much-needed conversations about ending men’s violence against women and girls.
All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting 5th July 2023.
Left to right: White Ribbon UK CEO Anthea Sully; White Ribbon NI CEO Tahnee McCorry; Scottish National Party MP Gavin Newlands; and Nottinghamshire FA DSO Rachael Wilks.
Building upon the momentum of #TheGoal campaign, domestic abuse training was delivered to Club Welfare Officers in March 2023, and domestic abuse policies were created for both Nottinghamshire FA and grassroots clubs and leagues.
Nottinghamshire FA also supported events involving mothers and their children, all survivors of domestic abuse, engaging them with football activities in a safe environment.
In May 2023, Nottinghamshire FA became the first English Football Association to become White Ribbon Accredited. Now with even more drive and energy to create meaningful change, we’ve begun to plan how we’ll #ChangeTheStory for women and girls this White Ribbon Day, Saturday, 25 November, 2023.
A lot has changed for Nottinghamshire FA since last summer, and since the start of this journey as a White Ribbon Accredited Organisation. This past July, I represented Nottinghamshire FA at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on ending men’s violence against women and girls where I explained to Members of Parliament our initiatives to promote gender equality in football. It felt good to be part of the change — on my journey back to Nottingham my brain went into overdrive thinking of the ways we could make a real impact on advancing gender equality at Notts FA.
What’s next for Nottinghamshire FA?
We’re currently developing a six-week programme with BWP to deliver to boys in a local secondary school. The programme will consist of classroom and football-based activities to achieve two objectives: address harmful behaviours displayed by some boys in this cohort in the past, and to empower girls to recognise abuse and have the confidence to report it.
I’m excited to see how far we can take this project and am motivated to encourage other sports associations and educational establishments to adopt this programme and deliver it on a national scale. After I retired from the police, I spent time working in an all-male pupil referral unit and saw first-hand the harmful impact domestic abuse has on children. This was a formative experience and has made me a strong advocate for education as the key to successful behaviour change.
Changing the story this White Ribbon Day
This November, BWP’s Partnership Manager Chris Harris and I will co-host a national safeguarding conference during Safeguarding Adults Week – a fantastic opportunity for both BWP and Notts FA to demonstrate the commitment both organisations made when becoming White Ribbon Accredited. The focus of this talk will be on how Nottinghamshire FA is addressing violence against women and will hopefully inspire other national sports governing bodies to take the positive action required to create the culture change needed to achieve gender equality in our society.
The momentum is building, women and girls will no longer be silenced into submission.
Rachael Wilks is the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) at Nottinghamshire Football Association.