Safeguarding
Grassroute is built for the people who run grassroots football. Keeping young players safe is designed into how the platform works - and this page is clear about what that means, and what stays with clubs, County FAs and families.
If a child is at risk
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 now.
For a non-emergency welfare concern: Police 101 · NSPCC 0808 800 5000 · CEOP Safety Centre. Speak to your club’s welfare officer and your County FA. A report to Grassroute is never a substitute for these.
How Grassroute is built for safety
A club-to-club network - not a place for children
Grassroute lists clubs, teams and football opportunities, not individual young players. There are no public child or player profiles, and no direct adult-to-child messaging anywhere on the platform.
Contact happens through the club
Enquiries reach a club’s chosen, role-based contact - not an individual’s personal phone number. Each club decides what it publishes; private conversations stay private.
Youth enquiries go through a parent or guardian
Anyone enquiring about a youth team does so as the parent or guardian, to the club’s contact - never child-to-adult. From there it’s the club’s welfare officer or a DBS-checked coach who takes over.
Clubs show their safeguarding standing
Clubs can display whether they hold a safeguarding policy, have a designated welfare officer, run DBS-checked coaches, and are FA-affiliated. Those signals appear on the club’s public profile so families can see them before making contact.
What Grassroute does not do
Grassroute reduces the friction of finding football. It does not vet, verify or supervise clubs, coaches, venues or events, and it is not a substitute for your club’s own safeguarding practices, DBS checks or FA welfare procedures. Grassroute is not a governing body, regulator or safeguarding authority, and does not guarantee the legitimacy, quality or safety of any club, team, coach, event or opportunity listed.
For parents and players
You remain responsible for deciding whether a club, team, coach or event is right for your child. Grassroute helps you understand a team before you enquire - but before committing, it’s worth checking a few things yourself:
- The club’s official identity and County FA affiliation.
- Who will be coaching and supervising, and whether they’re DBS-checked.
- The venue, arrangements and how sessions are run.
- The club’s welfare arrangements and who its designated welfare officer is.
Make your enquiry through the club’s contact on Grassroute, as the parent or guardian, and let the club’s welfare officer or a DBS-checked coach take it from there. Never arrange contact directly between an adult and a child through the platform - it isn’t designed for that, and clubs shouldn’t ask you to.
Reporting something on Grassroute
If a listing or profile looks unsafe, misleading, abusive, or shares a child’s personal details, tell us and we’ll review it - we can remove content or restrict accounts. Please note a report to Grassroute is not an emergency or an official safeguarding referral: for those, use the contacts above and your club and County FA processes.
Looking for safeguarding training and welfare-officer guidance? See our safeguarding & duty of care resources.