Submissions to Football All Party Parliamentary Group Online Harms Inquiry

Description

In 2026, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Football opened a new parliamentary inquiry, A Safe Space for the Beautiful Game: Tackling Online Harms in Football. This examines the growing impact of abuse, threats and harmful digital content across the game. The scope of this inquiry includes any form of online abuse (including but not limited to racism, xenophobia, hate speech, antisemitism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, ableism, harassment) as well as digital threats or harms (including but not limited to death threats, doxing, catfishing, sextortion, identity theft, AI deepfakes) directed at the sporting community, including athletes, managers, staff, referees, fans, media, broadcasters, and club staff. The inquiry culminates in a written report which sets out findings and recommendations for government, regulators, football authorities and technology companies. Two submissions were made to this APPG: one summarising the overall findings from the TOHIF project and, a second, outlining insights from KICKBACK, an educational intervention with young female footballers. 

Period	1 Jan 2026 → 30 May 2026
Degree of Recognition	National