The Irish Football Association has announced the introduction of Safe Sport Literacy, a new initiative designed to strengthen understanding and awareness of safe sport practices across all levels of football in Northern Ireland.
The initiative forms part of the Irish FA’s ongoing commitment to creating safer environments for everyone involved in the game.
Through education and learning opportunities for players, coaches, volunteers, parents and officials, Safe Sport Literacy aims to ensure a clear and shared understanding of what safe sport means in practice and how it should be upheld across football.
Safe Sport Literacy is designed to equip stakeholders across the game with the knowledge and confidence to understand what safe sport looks like in practice, promote safer spaces within football environments, recognise behaviours or practices that may be less safe, and raise concerns or speak out in a safe, informed and supported manner.
The initiative will be delivered through a combination of face-to-face training sessions led by the Irish FA Safeguarding Team and external providers, including voluntary organisations, alongside targeted workshops focused on safe sport and positive mental health.
The Irish FA is also progressing collaborative research projects, including work with elite pathway athletes as anonymous research participants, in partnership with the Bournemouth University MSc in Safe Sport programme.
In addition staff working within the women’s and girls’ pathway have already engaged in specialist training webinars, including a series on menstrual health and the female athlete, delivered by Riley B Period Care.
Further training courses focused on female athlete wellbeing will be rolled out in 2026 for players within the women’s U19 pathway and above, as well as for relevant coaching staff.
As part of this work the Irish FA is developing a growing network of contributors and expanding its Safe Sport Library, which will provide accessible guidance, learning opportunities and resources to support the continued development of safer sport practices across football.
