The FIFA Guardians Safeguarding Essentials course is rapidly closing in on a major milestone, with the 20,000th learner soon set to complete the foundation module as FIFA today joins the celebrations for Safe Sport Day. Underpinned by the International Safeguards for Children in Sport, Safe Sport Day seeks to raise awareness of the importance of offering all children access to a safe sporting environment, an initiative that FIFA supports. FIFA’s commitment to making football accessible to all and providing respectful and safe environments in which to play the game is enshrined in its Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027 and is underlined by the institution’s work in the field.

Interested parties from across all sports and from around the world can enrol in the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Football Award, which is available online in English, French and Spanish at no cost. The course’s broach reach means that it can have a real impact, helping to create a stronger safeguarding culture that reduces the risk of abuse, harassment or exploitation in football but also in other sports. Nearly 20,000 learners – referred to as “global football community learners” – from club presidents and physiotherapists to coaches and the parents of players involved in all sports, have completed the first online course: FIFA Guardians Safeguarding Essentials.

Commenting on the landmark number of learners, FIFA’s Head of Safeguarding and Child Protection, Marie-laure Lemineur, said: “This outstanding number shows that there’s high demand in the sports sector for such educational programmes. In its efforts to raise standards and create safer environments within football, FIFA’s impact clearly extends beyond our sport. On this important day, we mustn’t forget that getting better at protecting the integrity of sport means doing a better job of protecting our football players, athletes and, more generally, anyone involved in sport.”

Since the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Sport Diploma was launched in 2021, FIFA has stepped up its collaboration in this area with its member associations, which are invited to nominate their safeguarding officers to undertake the diploma (referred to as “nominated FIFA learners”). Safeguarding officers from 75% of FIFA’s 211 member associations either have already completed or are in the process of completing the diploma.

Learners participate in a series of five online courses that are designed to help them improve safeguarding standards in their country, while the diploma aims to create a network of trained safeguarding professionals within the game. To obtain the diploma, nominated FIFA learners must attend a residential workshop on case management, contribute to online discussion forums, submit written assessments, take online quizzes and follow webinars delivered on specific themes.

“I’d like to thank everyone at FIFA for providing such a fantastic programme for those of us working in abuse prevention and response,” said Alison Kocoras, who serves as Vice-President, Safeguarding – Response & Welfare at the U.S. Soccer Federation. “The opportunity to discuss challenges, to share ideas and to learn was invaluable. The workshop provided practical, hands-on training to address and resolve incidents of abuse in a trauma-informed manner. I’m very excited to apply what I learned to the U.S. Soccer Federation’s safeguarding programme,” added Kocoras.