Kick it Out launches new #TakeAStand Campaign

12 October 2020

Kick it Out launched their new campaign, Take A Stand, on October, 11. It is a call to action initiative, encouraging people across the football community to take an action or make a pledge, in the fight against discrimination. Take A Stand is a digital first campaign, driven largely through social media channels where we’ll be inviting individuals and organisations to publicly commit to their own pledge.

The initiative marks a new chapter in the fight against discrimination in football, which will give fans the confidence, the tools and the means to confront discrimination and make a change. Kick it Out wants Take A Stand to be an advocate for change – it is a movement which everyone can play a part in.

They have teamed up with a range of partners to launch the initiative, including Facebook and the FA. Most football fans will have witnessed some form of discrimination in football – on the terraces, in dressing rooms or on social media – but more needs to be done to move from awareness to action.

Facebook is supporting Take A Stand by launching initiatives focussed on action, and centred on reporting and education. It is building a new automated Messenger service, for when fans are back in stadiums, enabling people to report matchday discrimination directly to Kick It Out. Facebook is also launching a new education programme targeted directly at fans of all ages. It is piloting this new training module with anti-hate charity, HOPE not Hate, delivered through clubs’ community and fan engagement programmes. The pilot will be launched in close collaboration with the England national teams, Derby County F.C. and Portsmouth F.C., before being rolled-out further in 2021.

In addition, Facebook is also launching educational resources available to all fans through a WhatsApp messaging service. By adding 07432 140 310 to your WhatsApp contacts, and messaging ‘hi’, fans will be sent information on the current anti-discrimination initiatives in UK football, ways to report and changes you can make straight away.

Twitter has also committed to being part of Take A Stand, by continuing to support with campaigns and educational initiatives which combat online hate, as well as delivering training sessions with football clubs and police authorities. It will also continue to focus on proactively actioning hateful content, where now more than one in two Tweets are identified and removed without reports.

Sanjay Bhandari, Kick It Out Chair, says: “Our Take A Stand campaign aims to tackle discrimination, but also create a culture where everyone belongs and individuals take personal responsibility for being part of the change. We can all do something to take a stand against hate and promote a more inclusive society. Our ambition is to turn bystanders into activists and to crowdsource solutions by capturing pledges of individual action. We want to use those pledges that we receive from the public and organisations, to turn them into insight and make anti-discrimination strategies better informed by understanding more about what people are doing on the ground.

Steve Hatch, Facebook’s Vice President for Northern Europe says: “Facebook and Instagram are where fans come to connect directly with their favourite players, teams and other fans and we want that to do without discrimination or abuse. We can all do something to take a stand against hate and promote a more inclusive society. 

“We know that discrimination exists in society and often manifests itself through football, and only by working together across the game to drive meaningful change through action, can we truly ensure the game is a safe and enjoyable environment for all.”

More information on the Website of Kick it Out