Kick It Out announced that it logged an unprecedented 1,744 discrimination complaints across the professional tiers, grassroots football and online platforms during the inaugural year of its Football United programme. The surge in reports, the organisation explained, was driven in part by a noticeable rise in anti‑immigrant rhetoric, but also by the strengthening of reporting pathways with partner groups such as Her Game Too, the Frank Soo Foundation and Football v Homophobia. These new links gave victims and witnesses greater confidence to come forward, resulting in more than 100 submissions through the fresh channels in the 2025/26 campaign.
While the headline figure may appear alarming, Kick It Out cautioned against interpreting the rise solely as a sign of a worsening football culture. Instead, the body highlighted that the increase reflects a growing willingness among fans, players and community members to report abusive behaviour, as well as the success of collaborative relationships with specialist organisations.
The charity expects the network of reporting partners to expand further in the 2026/27 season, widening the safety net for anyone experiencing discrimination on or off the pitch. Samuel Okafor, chief executive of Kick It Out, underscored the broader context: "At a time when discrimination is on the rise and we need decisive action to make the sport more inclusive and representative of all communities, football must unite to meet its challenges. Our Impact Report shows a year of progress alongside both existing and new partners, but we recognise that deeper collaboration will allow us to strengthen policy work, campaigning, education and reporting programmes, ultimately creating a more welcoming environment for everyone." The Year One Impact Report, released on Tuesday, paints a vivid picture of the scale of the problem the charity is tackling. It covers the first twelve months of Football United, a five‑year plan launched in September 2025 that is built around four core ambitions: universal inclusion, representation on the field, leadership opportunities off the field, and a zero‑tolerance stance on discrimination.
During this initial period the organisation recorded several notable achievements. Over 11,000 individuals participated in Kick It Out's educational sessions, ranging from schoolchildren to club staff, while 583 people completed the Raise Your Game development programme and 148 took part in Fan Education workshops designed to empower supporters to recognise and challenge prejudice.
A landmark partnership with Guinness 0.0 enabled the charity to extend its outreach into the hospitality sector; more than 3,000 employees of Greene King pubs received training on how to spot and respond to discriminatory incidents. The start of the 2025/26 season also marked a historic moment for transparency in the professional game. For the first time, clubs were required under FA Rule N to publish workforce diversity data, shedding light on the representation of women, ethnic minorities and other under‑represented groups in coaching, management and executive roles.
This new visibility is intended to drive accountability and encourage clubs to set concrete inclusion targets. Kick It Out also collaborated with over 20 external organisations to submit proposals to the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). These submissions advocated for stronger board‑level responsibility for equality, diversity and inclusion, and called for specific representation quotas on club boards and senior leadership teams.
In parallel, the charity worked with partners on a suite of pressing issues, including online abuse, sexism and misogyny, faith‑based discrimination, and broader inclusion for marginalized communities. Okafor reflected on the progress and the road ahead: "This is only year one of the strategy, so we know there is so much more to achieve, but we have ambitious plans for the coming season where we will expand grassroots anti‑discrimination education, increase Fan Education delivery with support from the Premier League and grow Raise Your Game.
We are determined to keep building a game where everyone is included, and everyone is united in tackling discrimination wherever it happens." Looking forward, the charity intends to broaden its grassroots education programmes, ensuring that coaches, volunteers and young players receive consistent, high‑quality training on respect and inclusion. The Fan Education initiative will be scaled up with additional resources from the Premier League, aiming to reach tens of thousands of supporters across the country. The Raise Your Game scheme, which equips emerging talent with leadership and advocacy skills, will also be expanded to include more participants from diverse backgrounds. Beyond the numbers, Kick It Out stresses that each report represents a real person who has experienced hurt or exclusion.
By turning those reports into actionable insights, the organisation hopes to influence policy, shape club culture and ultimately eradicate discrimination from the sport. The record‑breaking figure of 1,744 complaints, while stark, is also a sign that more voices are being heard and that the mechanisms for addressing abuse are becoming more effective. In summary, the first year of Football United has delivered a mixed picture: a surge in reported incidents, but also a surge in awareness, education and partnership.
The data suggests that football is at a pivotal juncture, with the potential to become a model of inclusivity if the momentum generated in 2025/26 is sustained and built upon in the years to come.