Football and sport is well positioned to harness the benefits of bystander intervention. High profile players and coaches commonly act as role models, especially for younger people. We harness their position as positive examples to drive culture change in sport. 

The programme takes the form of a 6-hour training delivered across three separate sessions and trains people working in football and sports to be ‘active bystanders’ and positive role models who can intervene safely and effectively when they witness unacceptable behavior – from sexist jokes or demeaning “locker-room” banter.

As with all our programmes, we work with your organisation to create a bespoke package that best suits your needs. Tailored programme content is developed through a series of focus groups to create role-play scenarios that reflect the actual situations that staff and players face in their work. 

The evaluation of Football Onside at Exeter City Community Trust funded by the ESRC in conjunction with Exeter Medical School found that participants had:

• Reduced beliefs in rape and domestic abuse myths. Following the programme, participants were significantly less likely to exonerate the perpetrator or blame the victim for abuse.
  
• Improved intention to help others and readiness to change themselves. 
• Improved knowledge of the law in this area and reported that this makes them more confident to intervene. 
• Increased confidence to intervene as bystanders
• Reported that since the course they had intervened positively in a potentially harmful situation.

Football Onside was launched by Dame Vera Baird QC The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales in 2019.