Safeguarding practices at New Zealand Football’s Youth Futsal Championship have marked a significant step in the education of safeguarding with coaches, players and officials.
New Zealand Football held sessions with teams to promote safeguarding at the tournament, highlighting useful practices, and educating teams on how safeguarding is used in practice. Key messaging was also shared around the tournament grounds through posters and t-shirts for staff, to help amplify the message.
NZF General Manager Women’s World Cup Legacy and Special Projects, Paula Hansen, said the sessions marked a positive step forward for safeguarding education.
“Our focus was on really engaging communities around awareness and education of what poor practice and safeguarding is,” Hansen explained.
“We have a duty of care to our members, and that extends to spectators, fans, players, coaches, and everybody involved or connected to football.”
Hansen said the iniative also helped educate players and coaches on what safeguarding means in practice.
“I think the minute you say safeguarding; people have their own understanding of what that means and what it doesn’t mean. It’s about getting people to think about the behaviours they do and identifying poor practice and good practice in other people,”
“The key message is about reducing harm.”
Hansen explained that parents, players and coaches felt encouraged to identify and voice any concerns they had around safeguarding during the tournament. She is encouraged that the message was widely accepted.
“The feedback and the vibe in the tournament were really positive around safeguarding having a visible presence.”
“We had a couple of club representatives who run their own futsal tournaments in their regions ask for New Zealand Football’s support and guidance on how they can have a safeguarding presence at their tournaments in the future.”
“So really that ripple effect starting at our New Zealand Football level, but the impact and the knowledge and the experience goes out across our whole football system.”
OFC Safeguarding and Wellbeing Manager Palu Uhatahi Tu’amoheloa is encouraged by New Zealand Football’s initiatives.
“From an OFC perspective, we are happy to see that the work and the support we are providing for the member associations is being shown through Paula’s work with the clubs and delivering training to coaches and players.”
“With Paula, it was the first time joining the OFC Regional Safeguarding Training for Trainers last year. She has been great in leading discussions and it really shows her passion for the safeguarding space – and to see safeguarding practices grow in those spaces during competitions is encouraging.”
Looking to the future, Paula Hansen said safeguarding is a responsiblity they will continue to promote.
“We’re the highest participation team sport in Aotearoa, so we need to be focused on sideline behaviour,”
“We have a duty of care to our members, and that extends to spectators, fans, players, coaches, everybody involved or connected to football. It is our responsibility to do what we can through policy, education, support and awareness,”
“We want a game free from harm and free from abuse. Everybody is safe and welcomed.”