February 18 – A new cross-organisation partnership, comprised of the English football authorities, the UK Football Policing Unit and regulator Ofcom, has been launched to strengthen efforts to combat online abuse in football and protect the players.
The working group – which includes the The Football Association, Premier League, English Football League, Women’s Super League, Professional Footballers’ Association and Kick It Out – will share intelligence and data on the scale and nature of online hate and abuse directed at those working across the professional game.
English football authorities have collaborated with the UK Football Policing Unit for several years to address the issue, monitoring leagues and competitions for abusive content online. Posts identified as harmful are reviewed and reported to social media companies for action, with the most serious cases escalated to law enforcement authorities for investigation and, where appropriate, prosecution.
Monitoring activity around domestic competitions and major international events – including the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship – has already resulted in thousands of posts being flagged, hidden or removed. Illegal content has been referred for potential criminal proceedings.
While clubs and governing bodies already offer personal and welfare support to players, coaches, referees and other participants targeted online, the new framework will also assess whether additional protections and assistance can be introduced.
Under the expanded partnership, intelligence and analysis relating to online abuse will be shared more systematically to support preventative measures and investigative work.
This will include consideration of criminal investigations, as well as contributing to Ofcom’s ongoing policy development and enforcement under the Online Safety Act, including new user empowerment rules for digital platforms.
The initiative has stressed that tackling online hate requires a coordinated approach – combining regulation of technology companies, proactive education initiatives and firm law enforcement action against individuals responsible for criminal abuse.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]