The FA is responding to concern from across the game to tackle unacceptable behaviour in football. The FA is taking action in a variety of ways, and one of the main actions is the Respect programme. It is not a short-lived campaign but on ongoing commitment to improve behaviour in football. It won’t be solved in the short term as we all have a lot of work to do over the seasons ahead. One of the main aims of Respect is to help recruit and retain enough Referees for the requirements of our game at all levels. We all know that a game without a trained and impartial referee cannot be played properly. In 2008 the number of registered Referees had fallen to an all time
low with many referees dropping out, mainly due to the abuse they receive on the pitch and from the sidelines. Respect aims to improve the environment of the game and so improve the experience of everyone involved – particularly Referees.

Respect needs your club and its players to play its part. Together, we can make a huge difference.

What is Respect ?

Respect is the collective responsibility of everyone in football to create a fair, safe and enjoyable environment in which the game can
take place. It is the behavioural code for football.

Respect is a continuous FA programme, not a one-off initiative.[b]

[b]What do we want to achieve with Respect?

1. There will be a ‘step change‘ in youth football on what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour from parents, spectators and coaches.
2. We will work with coaches to create an enjoyable learning environment for children’s football
3. There will be a base of registered referees in England sufficient for the demands of the game at every level.
4. There will be zero tolerance for assaults on referees.
5. There will be an improvement in on-field player discipline, particularly in the area of dissent to referees and in competitions that
have an established record of poor discipline.

The most important message of the Respect programme is that real and lasting change will come about not through the intervention of the Football Authorities but from everyone in football taking collective responsibility to promote what is good in the game and deal with that which
diminishes it.