Kindling team up with top football clubs to tackle sexism and sexual harassment

“Watch this, if you can see it you can be it”

These were the words I heard my eldest son (not a football fan), tell his younger sister (a big football fan) as I walked into the lounge, during England Women’s recent televised game v Spain in the World Cup Qualifiers.

This sibling encouragement may not have entirely landed with a 6-year-old who has no concept of how far the women’s game has come in the last 20 years, but as a parent it made me reflect on the fact that both “seeing it” and “being it” are now genuine options for girls today.

The footballing landscape my daughter will grow up in, has changed out of all recognition from my generation. Back then, most girls didn’t even have the opportunity to play, let alone the prospect of turning professional or appearing on TV.  The very fact that when my daughter wanted to join a girls’ team, there was a wonderfully welcoming and supportive one just down the road – a shout out to coach Donna Beaver and  Cheltenham Spa Women FC – wasn’t a reality for my three sisters when they were growing up.

Although long over-due, the ongoing growth and development of the women’s game demonstrates both the limitless appetite for football in this country – from all genders – and what our national sport can do when it is motivated and mobilised to bring about positive change.

But there is still so much more that can be done to truly level the playing field and ensure that my daughter – and other women’s – experience of football, whether playing, watching or working in the game, is safe, welcoming and on a par with their male counterparts.

And this is where Kindling Interventions come in.

 The “beautiful game’s” huge potential to tackle society’s uglier sides – including sexism and sexual harassment – was one of the key things that attracted me to work for the company and also drove our pioneering Football Onside project with Exeter City FC Community Trust and Exeter University back in 2024.

Supported by partners including Public Health England, Devon County Council, Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services, Hollie Gazzard Trust and Plymouth Argyle FC – Football Onside was the UK’s first evidence-led bystander intervention training programme for the prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG) through sport.

The training mobilises qualities already-at-play in professional sport to help prevent violence and abuse – things like grit, determination, fair play, courage and teamwork. The project also drew on the close-knit nature of team sport, where if players are empowered to speak up against harmful behaviour, they have an incredible opportunity to shift group culture in a positive way.

A study on the Football Onside project by Dr Anastasiia Kovalenko and Kindling Director Professor Rachel Fenton, published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, found that the specialist training changed attitudes and gave participants the tools to step in if they saw unacceptable behaviour like demeaning “locker-room” banter. It also helped coaches and players became positive role models who promote respectful attitudes and actions towards women. The study recognised some of the challenges inherent in football. It remains male-dominated and individuals pursuing a dream of playing professionally often face pressure to conform and not speak out.

The popularity of football and the status of top-level players, means that the positive impact of the project has the potential to cause a sizeable ripple effect out into the wider community.  A decade ago, it was hard to imagine the progress women’s football would make on the pitch. In 2026, there is an opportunity for clubs who step tup to tackle sexism and VAWG, by investing in training programmes like Football Onside, to transform prospects for women off the pitch too.

One club who has blazed a trail in this area is Fulham FC who were the first Premier League club to partner with us for Football Onside, rolling the training out right across its workforce. Led by Director of Safeguarding and Inclusion, Eleanor Rowland, this is one of a wide range of initiatives the club has implemented to prevent VAWG and achieve gender equality. In February this year Fulham launched a Female Strategy focused on women’s safety and increasing representation. They also have a female forum, through the Fulham FC Foundation and for International Women’s Day 2026, first team players wore custom walk-out jackets featuring names of women who have supported or inspired them, rather than their own.

On a recent visit to the club, it was clear that a number of the younger players, who had come up through the youth teams, were particularly well-informed on the topic. I was struck by their confidence to discuss difficult topics with nuance and sensitivity.

Fulham were the first club (back in 2000) to professionalise its women’s team, something that may not feel like a huge step now but at the time was ground-breaking. They continue to lead the way in embedding gender equality and women’s safety throughout all areas of the club, and we are proud to partner with them.

Reflecting on the impact of Fulham’s partnership with Kindling, Eleanor said: “We are incredibly happy with the work Kindling has delivered for us. One of Kindling’s greatest strengths is the way their trainers are able to unpick people’s views and opinions in a kind, thoughtful and meaningful way. They create a safe space where anything that is asked or said is treated with both respect and seriousness. That is such an important skill in a world that can feel increasingly divisive. Allowing people to be themselves, while helping them better understand their own feelings and thoughts, is crucial in building empathy towards the realities women face every day.

“Once people move beyond the idea that supporting women is not just simply about having a mother, sister or daughter, that you love, the conversation becomes more powerful. We do not just need people to like or love women we need people to stand up for them, to understand why allyship matters, and to actively support meaningful change. Kindling are the best at this, due to their extensive experience within the Violence Against Women and Girl’s and Gender Based Violence field.

“Our staff and players trust them and I can honestly say that after every session we have delivered, even the most resistant of men and women have left, saying ‘that was amazing’.”

Another PL team who has adopted a whole club approach is Tottenham Hotspur. In 2026 we worked with them to customise and deliver our ‘Stepping Up to Prevent Sexual Harassment’ training. Like Football Onside, this training builds on the already-existing positive qualities staff embody and takes a bystander approach – equipping people to prevent harm rather than just respond to it. Unlike Football Onside, which tackles all forms of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), this training specifically helps organisations meet their duty under the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 – to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Alongside in-person training, all staff will complete our ‘Stepping Up to Prevent Sexual Harassment’ e-learning course. This was initially built for Arsenal and has been rolled out to their workforce this year. The course is specifically tailored to both the organisation and football settings.  It can be used as stand-alone training for those who haven’t completed in-person sessions and works as a complement, refresher and reinforcement for those who have.

It is clear from both our research and practical experience, that organisations that embed bystander training across their whole company see the biggest impact in terms of creating a positive environment to work in and preventing future harm. By introducing training right across the club, Tottenham has reported that it has opened up the conversation on sexual harassment, reinforced the boundaries of what behaviour is acceptable in the workplace and increased the confidence of staff to step in if they see harmful behaviour.

It has been great to work with a club that is so committed to supporting its employees and building an inclusive culture.

Kindling is now working with more than half of the Premier League clubs, and it feels increasingly like clubs are stepping up to their responsibility not just to tick boxes but to drive meaningful change inside their organisations. There is also an awareness of the impact they can have on their communities. By modelling positive behaviours throughout their professional teams, youth set-up, foundations, club staff and community programmes, they can encourage change on a wider scale. Clubs like Fulham, Spurs and Arsenal are among those who have laid down the gauntlet for other teams to follow.

I have no idea where my daughter’s love of football will take her, but I feel more confident than I would have 20 years ago that her aspirations won’t be limited by her gender. And while this optimism is supported by the increased professionalism and popularity of the women’s game, a study on women working in elite sport, published in January 2026 provides a sobering reminder that there is still so much more to do.  The research found that 87% of those involved had experienced sexual harassment at work – a figure more than double that reported by women in general. As we found during our initial Football Onside project – the game continues to be a site of great opportunity and significant challenge. By partnering with us at Kindling Interventions we can help clubs to make the most of their unique position and make a positive contribution to the lives of women and girls on both sides of the white line.

For more information on  our training programmes please contact us at info@kindling-interventions.com or visit www.kindling-interventions.com,  we look forward to speaking to you.