The Grassroots Code and touchline behaviour

The five standards

England Football’s Grassroots Code page (opens in a new tab) names the five standards as:

• Enjoy the Game
• Give Respect
• Be Inclusive
• Work Together
• Play Safe

The Code comes in three versions: one for youth football, one for adult football, and one for adults involved in youth football, including parents and spectators. All three can be downloaded from the Grassroots Code page.

What it asks of parents and spectators

Among other things, the Grassroots Code for adults in youth football asks you to:

• Put children’s well-being first, and remember that grassroots football is about children playing and having fun, not only about results.
• Use respectful and positive language, and accept the decisions of the referee, coaches and officials rather than arguing with them.
• Avoid coaching from the sideline as a spectator.
• Stay in designated spectator or technical areas.
• Encourage players and celebrate their effort, and avoid criticising them when they make a mistake.
• Encourage fair play, such as shaking hands with opponents and being kind, whether the team wins or loses.
• Show zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind, and report anything that concerns you.
• Support fair playing time for all children, and accept that your child may not always play in their favourite position, or may need to sit out to give someone else playing time.
• Tell a club official if you see anything that looks unsafe, and know who the first aiders are and where the nearest defibrillator is.
• Tidy up after yourself and look after the facilities.

The adults’ version ends with space to sign and date it, and your club may ask you to sign it, or a code of conduct of its own, when your child joins. Our guide to joining a club covers what else to expect in the first season. If playing time is the worry, our guide to playing time in youth football sets out what the rules say and how to raise it.

Silent Support weekends

On a Silent Support (opens in a new tab) weekend, spectators at youth matches are asked not to shout or call out, and to show appreciation by applauding good play. Coaches can still give their teams quiet encouragement. England Football describes the aim as letting young players find their voice, make their own decisions and enjoy their game.

England Football is running two national Silent Support weekends for youth football in the 2026/27 season, and a pilot this season is testing more frequent weekends in some leagues. England Football encourages leagues to take part, so ask your club or league whether your child’s matches are included. The dates are in our season calendar.

Spectator areas

The Code asks adults to stay in designated spectator or technical areas. If the club or venue has marked out an area for spectators, with a rope, a barrier or a line, watch from there. If you are not sure where spectators stand at a ground, ask the club.

When behaviour goes wrong

On the day. If another adult’s behaviour on the touchline worries you, tell your team’s manager or a club officer rather than confronting them yourself. The referee can act too. From 2026/27, a referee who feels a game is becoming unsafe can pause it for a cooling-off period (opens in a new tab): the players go to their penalty areas, and the referee asks the coaches and captains to calm their teams and any spectators. Referees under 18 can choose to wear a yellow armband, which shows they are not adults.

What can happen next. The Code says that if an adult does not live up to it, their club, league, County FA or The FA may take action. Its list includes a verbal warning, a meeting with a designated safeguarding officer or the club committee, an FA education course, being asked to leave the match venue or not to attend future games, suspension or removal from club membership, a fine, and a fine or suspension for the club.

A club can be charged when its spectators misbehave. Discipline in grassroots football is handled by County FAs and The FA, and County FAs support teams whose behaviour needs to improve. England Football’s sanctions and discipline (opens in a new tab) page explains how it works.

Raising a concern about another adult

Who to go to depends on what happened.

• About someone at your own club, including a coach or manager: speak to a club officer such as the secretary or chair, or another officer if the person holds one of those roles, and use the club’s code of conduct and complaints procedure if it has one. Our guide to club committee roles explains who does what.
• About the other team’s spectators: tell your team’s manager or a club officer, who can raise it with the other club or the league.
• You can also contact your County FA directly.
• Discrimination of any kind: you can report it to the referee, your County FA, The FA or Kick It Out, including after the match has finished. You can report anonymously, though England Football says an anonymous report may need following up with more details. Its reporting discrimination (opens in a new tab) page has the links.

If an adult’s behaviour towards a child worries you, treat it as a welfare matter. In England, you can report a concern to any of these:

• The club welfare officer, who is the club’s named safeguarding contact, or the league’s welfare officer.
• The County FA’s Designated Safeguarding Officer.
• The FA’s safeguarding team.

You do not have to report through the club first. If the concern is about the club welfare officer or someone on the committee, you can go straight to the County FA or The FA. If you cannot contact the club, league or County FA, The FA also points to the NSPCC helpline. If you think a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, contact your local authority’s children’s social care. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Our guide to safeguarding in grassroots football explains how safeguarding works in clubs, and our guide to the club welfare officer explains the role.