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Sectarianism in Football Action Points
ACTION 1:
To establish a new body to focus effort, develop and deliver activities to tackle sectarianism associated with Scottish football.
Consideration
There is a need for new leadership to bring together the efforts of the various organisations who are committed to removing sectarianism from Scottish football. This could be done by the Scottish FA itself, but the role of the Scottish FA as a regulator can present complications in running campaigns or specific activities with football clubs. Moreover, there would be benefits in establishing a separate focus for anti-sectarian activities through the establishment of a new body. Such a body could be established as a registered charity, and have representatives of various bodies as trustees.
The experience and success of Show Racism the Red Card demonstrates the value of a separate organisation. This organisation - which is supported by the Scottish Executive and the Scottish FA - does not however wish to have its anti-racist message diluted through adding anti-sectarianism to its remit.
Conclusion
A new organisation - Football for All - will therefore be established with initial financial support from the Scottish Executive and project support from the Scottish FA. It is intended that the new body will be set up as a registered charity. Other organisations will be invited to offer financial support or support in kind. Football for All will have an initial focus on anti-sectarian activities but in time its remit will widen to encompass wider equality and anti discrimination work with the Scottish FA and other bodies in developing support for social inclusion programmes based on football's wider role in Scottish society.
Lead organisation
The Scottish Executive and the Scottish FA through funding of projects will support the establishment of this new body.
Timescale
Football for All will be set up early in 2007 and will commence its first programme of action in February 2007.
ACTION 2:
To undertake a nationwide anti-sectarianism awareness raising campaign at the beginning of 2007.
Consideration
It is essential that the anti-sectarian message is clearly articulated and reinforced to all football supporters. Raising awareness through advertising campaigns can be very effective if the campaigns are well focussed and employ a range of media to deliver their message. Knowledge of where football supporters gather and the routes taken to and from football grounds is essential if anti-sectarian messages are to reach their target football-supporting audience.
The Scottish Executive has been involved in a number of campaigns to raise awareness of discrimination and equalities issues. By drawing on these experiences and their outcomes it should be possible to develop an effective anti-sectarian awareness raising campaign with a specific football focus. In particular the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish Executive jointly delivered a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of Football Banning Orders during September 2006. This campaign was specifically targeted at football supporters and the outcomes from this will be very helpful in developing an anti-sectarian campaign.
Conclusion
A Nationwide anti-sectarian campaign will be initiated which is specifically targeted at football supporters. The message - or set of messages - should be straightforward and simple. It should be aimed at regular spectators and encourage their wholehearted rejection of any forms of sectarian behaviour.
Lead organisation
The Scottish Executive and sportscotland will take the lead in developing the campaign through Football for All.
Timescale
The campaign will be taken forward at the beginning of 2007 and initially last for one month. The outcomes from the initial campaign will be evaluated to inform decisions on further activity in response to this action.
ACTION 3:
To ensure that any new sportscotland investment in the Scottish FA is linked to the achievement of Foundation and Preliminary levels of the Equity Standard in 2009.
Consideration
The Equity Standard (The Standard) is a nationally recognised, four-level accreditation framework which is intended to help guide sports organisations towards achieving equity in their policies, procedures, actions and decision-making processes. It is owned jointly by UK Sport and the four home country sports councils.
The Standard is intended to provide a consistent, practical framework that allows organisations to gradually embed equity into all of their functions, to ensure that discrimination is tackled and that equality of opportunity for all existing and potential participants, staff, volunteers, and members is promoted. Organisations must take steps to help prevent and tackle all forms of discrimination - including that which occurs on the grounds of religion or belief. Therefore, the Standard provides an excellent mechanism to help sports organisations tackle sectarianism as part of a wider equity framework. The steps that the Scottish FA takes to achieve the first two levels of the Standard will contribute directly to its efforts to tackle sectarianism at all levels of football for which the governing body is responsible.
sportscotland is currently encouraging and supporting a number of governing bodies as they work towards achieving the Standard. By 2012, sportscotland will only invest in governing bodies that have achieved at least Foundation level.
Conclusion
The Scottish FA will begin working towards achievement of the Foundation level of the Standard by the end of 2006. It will aim to achieve both Foundation and Preliminary levels by 2009. Any new programmes of support for the in the Scottish FA from late 2006 will be linked to the requirement to work towards the achievement of this target.
Lead organisation
The Scottish FA will be responsible for achieving Foundation and Preliminary levels of the Standard by 2009. sportscotland will support the Scottish FA, and will also ensure that any new sportscotland investment in the Scottish FA is linked to the requirement to work towards the achievement of this target.
Timescale
Work to achieve the Foundation and Preliminary levels of the Equity Standard will begin by the end of 2006, and it is expected that significant progress will be made by 2007. Full implementation will be complete by 2009.
ACTION 4:
To strengthen the National Club Licensing Scheme to require clubs to demonstrate policies and actions undertaken against sectarianism and other forms of discrimination.
Consideration
Many clubs already undertake extensive community work and have policies on discrimination; much of this work is unheralded and goes largely unnoticed by the media and the fans. There is a need for clubs themselves to examine how successful they are in getting anti-sectarian and anti-discrimination messages out to supporters. Matters which need to be kept under review include:
- How good behaviour is promoted and recognised;
- How a positive atmosphere on match days can be further encouraged;
- How self-policing amongst supporters can be further encouraged;
- More interaction with fan groups on the wider role of the club in society.
There are also measures which can be taken by clubs themselves - which many have already taken - to make their position crystal clear to supporters, e.g.:
- Suspension or removal of season tickets for those exhibiting sectarian behaviour;
- Stricter policies for allocation of tickets for away matches;
- Appropriate pre-match and half-time entertainment to reflect a positive image of the clubs and challenge any motions of sectarian bias amongst club supporters.
Where this work is already being undertaken, there has been an improvement in behaviour. It must continue and club messages need to be reinforced. Fans also need to be praised - and their clubs praised - where progress is seen to be made.
The Scottish FA, as the governing body of the game, should monitor the actions of clubs more closely in their efforts to combat sectarian or discriminatory behaviour. This can be done via an annual system of auditing to ensure that appropriate actions are being taken at individual club level.
Conclusion
The Scottish FA will strengthen its National Club Licensing Scheme to require clubs to demonstrate, as part of an annual club audit, that club policies are in place and actions have been taken to challenge any forms of sectarian behaviour. Clubs will be required to produce evidence of actions taken to deal with any issues or incidents associated with the behaviour of their supporters, or anyone else connected to their club.
It is intended to introduce these measures as a mandatory requirement for obtaining a National Club Licence with effect from season 2007/08.
Lead organisation
The Scottish FA will take the lead in this initiative.
Timescale
This system is to be effective from season 2007/08.
ACTION 5:
To introduce a new disciplinary offence of unacceptable conduct in football grounds in Scotland which will carry potential sanctions against clubs, officials, players or spectators engaging in sectarian behaviour.
Consideration
The difficulties of definition of what is sectarian behaviour and what is not are acknowledged. However, any form of discrimination or disorderly conduct is not welcome in any Scottish football ground, and the football authorities in Scotland will work together to introduce a new disciplinary offence and new sanctions to help eradicate all forms of such behaviour in Scottish football grounds. It is important that a wide definition of discrimination and disorderly conduct is used to align with the new definitions introduced by world and European football governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, to deal with racist or discriminatory behaviour.
Conclusion
The detailed wording of the new provisions will require further consideration and approval by the Scottish FA, Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.
In designing these new regulations, it will be important to introduce clarity regarding the respective responsibilities of the Scottish FA and the professional leagues. Clarity is also required in terms of agreed procedures for dealing with individual incidents - in particular how and by whom disciplinary charges are to be initiated. Changes to administrative procedures may not require any constitutional amendments, but may be the subject of a protocol or guidance issued to clubs. Any such protocol should however be published in the wider public interest.
Lead organisation
The Scottish FA, as the governing body of football in Scotland, will have overall responsibility for the introduction of these new measures.
Timescale
Formal approval will require to be given to the introduction of new regulations and this is likely to require amendment to the constitutions of the Scottish FA, the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League.
The aim is for all changes to be effective for the start of season 2007/08.
ACTION 6:
To encourage football clubs to develop standardised and consistent approaches to stewarding matches across Scotland.
Consideration
For many spectators, the public face of authority in football grounds is the club steward. Increasingly, stewards have replaced police officers at football grounds for routine matters of crowd control. The powers of stewards are limited, however, but their interaction with fans is extensive. It is important that stewards and safety officers at clubs have adequate training to carry out their duties.
There is a high turnover of stewards making it difficult to achieve consistent and uniform standards of stewarding at individual clubs, never mind across Scotland as a whole. Some clubs use their own stewards, others contract with stewarding companies. Training programmes are variable across the country and need to be improved so that stewards and football fans recognise what is expected of them. Specific attention should be given to training stewards in how to recognise and deal with any form of sectarian or discriminatory behaviour.
Conclusion
Effective and standardised training of Football Safety Officers would help football clubs to identify and tackle any incidents in their own grounds. It would also assist in establishing a more uniform approach across Scotland to incidents of misbehaviour.
Kick-start funding will be required to launch new training programmes but clubs themselves will have to shoulder the ongoing responsibility for maintaining training support for stewards, either directly or through the stewarding companies they employ. We will explore avenues regarding the training of Football Safety Officers with a view to the programme being owned and taken forward by Scotland's football clubs.
Lead organisation
The Scottish Executive and Scottish FA will work with the Football Safety Officers Association of Scotland to consider suitable training provision for stewards and safety officers.
ACTION 7:
To ensure that Football Banning Orders are used by police forces across Scotland in a consistent way so that those who persistently indulge in sectarian abuse can be excluded from football.
Consideration
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is acutely aware of the potential impact that Football Banning Orders can have on abusive behaviour at football matches across the country. Dealing with the worst and most persistent behaviour in relation to football hooliganism and sectarianism, Football Banning Orders seek to exclude people who behave in this manner from all football environments and act as deterrent to others who act in this manner. A consistent and coordinated approach to policing is being developed across Scotland which aims to ensure that the worst excesses of behaviour are uniformly dealt with wherever they occur.
Conclusion
The new legislation has the potential to dramatically improve the football environment in Scotland, meaning that the next generation of football supporters can watch their teams in a positive atmosphere. In particular, there is a willingness on the part of the Scottish police service to use these provisions as a powerful tool to remove sectarianism from the football arena.
Operational delivery standards have been discussed with Scotland's Police Forces in an effort to ensure that the legislation is delivered consistently across the country, not only in theory but in the provision of effective, robust policing which specifically targets sectarian behaviour. Raising awareness and promoting the use of Football Banning Orders will provide Forces with additional capacity to specifically attempt to reduce sectarian related offences.
Lead organisation
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland are leading on the delivery of this action.
ACTION 8:
To put in place processes to effectively monitor, evaluate, review and report on the effectiveness of the actions which are contained in this strategy.
Consideration
It is essential that effective monitoring of the implementation of the actions within this strategy takes place to ensure that progress can be measured effectively. The impact of these actions on sectarian behaviour at and around football matches must also be evaluated as tolerance of sectarian behaviour decreases.
Conclusion
As part of the development work for each of the actions in this strategy, each lead organisation should also make sure that it establishes appropriate processes to monitor the effectiveness of each action. This should be done with a view to preparing a report on the progress made. This report will also present opportunities to share positive work being carried out by individual organisations and clubs across the whole of Scottish football.
A range of information will be used to monitor progress against the action points as well as to evaluate the impact of the overall strategy on Scottish football. SPL delegates at all SPL matches will monitor and report on any manifestations of sectarian behaviour at SPL matches. Facts and statistics including numbers of arrests and football banning orders for sectarian behaviour will be looked at as part of the evaluation exercise, and ACPOS will report on the number of incidences of sectarian behaviour at matches. This will include information from match commanders' reports.
Lead organisation
Each of the organisations involved in delivering the actions in this strategy will be responsible for monitoring each action for which they are responsible. The SIF Working Group shall be responsible for evaluating the impact of the overall strategy on sectarianism in football when it prepares the progress report.
Timescale
The SIF Working Group will reconvene at the end of the 2006/07 football season to determine the extent of implementation of the actions, and to evaluate their effectiveness. A report on progress made, and further actions, will be made prior to the start of the 2007/08 football season.
Conclusion
The Scottish Executive, sportscotland and the Scottish FA wholly condemn all forms of discriminatory behaviour, including sectarianism, and are all committed to taking action to tackle discrimination on the basis of colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, gender, transgender identity, sexual orientation, age or disability. We regard all forms of discrimination as extremely serious and we are committed to working individually, and in partnership with other authorities and organisations, to tackle this damaging behaviour.
The Scottish Executive, sportscotland and the Scottish FA believe that sectarianism has no place whatsoever in Scottish football, and will work to tackle this problem within the wider framework of tackling all forms of discrimination in football.
The members of the Sectarianism in Football Working Group believe this strategy presents a great opportunity to tackle these problems and make a real impact on Scottish football and on wider society. With the support of everyone involved in football and from football fans up and down the country, the scourge of sectarianism can be removed from our game.
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