White Ribbon UK has teamed up with Safeguarding and Wellness app imabi to develop a men’s Euro fixtures guide focused on how allyship can make the tournament enjoyable for all.

The Prevalence of violence against women and girls

As the Euros moves into its second round of fixtures, Google search volumes for ‘domestic violence helpline’ show a 50% increase when comparing May 2024 against June 2024* – revealing a spike in people seeking support, coinciding with the start of the tournament. The latest data comes in the wake of recent statistics that show 3 out of 5 women experience sexist abuse in person when at a football game or in a pub, whilst cases of sexist chants have also quadrupled in the last year.

making football enjoyable for everyone

In light of this, and with fan zones for the Euros in place around the country, White Ribbon UK and safeguarding brand imabi, have launched a Euro fixtures guide highlighting the prevalence of violence against women and girls during major football tournaments. Interspersed with important facts about sexist abuse in the sport and supported by advice on how to be allies, the guide is designed to offer ways so that fans can make ‘the beautiful game’ enjoyable for all. 

Anthea Sully, CEO of White Ribbon UK, said: “Everyone has the right to enjoy watching sports, including football matches, without the fear of violence, abusive language, or harassment. The upcoming men's Euros tournament is a great opportunity for us to celebrate the good that can come from football and for men to show their allyship to women by making match screenings fun events for everyone. More and more men are challenging the use of harmful attitudes and behaviours towards women, both online and offline. This Euros, by showing your allyship, we can all end violence against women and girls."

According to Her Game Too, nearly 60 percent have faced sexist abuse in person at football matches or pubs. Whilst, Kick It Out reports of sexist mass chanting quadrupled at the end of 2023. In imabi's own recent research, more than half (54 percent) of 2,000 respondents* also said they had witnessed inappropriate behaviour from others – with the most intimidating being unwanted physical contact (according to 65 percent of respondents).

Mark Balaam, CEO of imabi, a safeguarding platform that provides the technology behind safeguarding apps, such as the Railway Guardian, built for the British Transport Police, as well as dedicated school, workplace, community and anti-VAWG apps, said: “Domestic violence is an horrific side effect of football – but it’s not the only side effect. Incidents of violence against women and girls spike in other areas too. From sexist and misogynistic online abuse towards female supporters, to sexist mass chanting: women are all too often on the receiving end.” 

The Men’s Euro’s Fixtures Guide and Allyship

The Euros guide not only highlights the upcoming fixtures, which supporters can use to follow and fill in the scores of England’s Group C games, but also raises awareness on the critical issues around violence against women and girls in football. Urging fans to foster a safer and more inclusive environment, the guide includes advice on what people can do in support of this:

• Enjoy the match responsibly: Are you being a team player, or ruining the game for someone else?

• Inclusive chanting: Chanting should be fun for everyone.

• Behaviour check: Would your behaviour pass a VAR check?

• Online conduct: Pull the red card on sexist comments, call it out and report it.

• Challenge inappropriate behaviour: Challenge sexist comments and harassing behaviour. A simple ‘That’s not ok’ can make a difference.

• Report incidents: Seen something inappropriate and need the ref to step in? Report it to a member of staff or police.

The launch of this guide is a step towards helping ensure football becomes an enjoyable and inclusive sport for everyone. By placing this essential messaging in a medium that is more relatable to those who need to heed it, White Ribbon UK and imabi are hoping to create a safer and more respectful football culture.

Download Fixtures Guide and New White Ribbon Sports Learning Resources for Young People

A digital copy of the Euros Fixtures Guide is available to download via the imabi website here: www.imabi.co.uk/euros-2024

Download White Ribbon UK’s new Sports Learning Resources for young people here: www.whiteribbon.org.uk/our-resources

*According to data taken from Semrush, a keyword research tool, which analysed and compared Google search volumes across May and June 2024.

**A One Poll survey of 2,000 UK-based respondents.