The FMHA

05/12/2025

New Discrimination Spikes: Sexism and misogyny reports soared by 67%, & ableist (disability) abuse increased by 45% in recent reporting periods. These fastest-rising categories demand targeted disciplinary and educational resources.

We are dealing with it:

The Neurodiversity Mental Health and Safeguarding Academy: The UK's first ongoing academy for neurodiversity, mental health and safeguarding in grassroots football. CPD-certified training, monthly experts, unlimited club seats.

05/12/2025

Love Football. Protect The Game: The FA's comprehensive strategy includes revamped sin-bins, the Grassroots Code of Conduct & the "Enough is Enough" campaign. Everyone has a collective responsibility to report unacceptable behaviour & build a safe, inclusive game.

04/12/2025

Protecting Youth Officials: To safeguard junior referees, the FA introduced the option for under-18 officials to wear a yellow armband. This serves as a visible notice to players, coaches, and spectators demanding an extra level of respect and patience.

04/12/2025

Tougher Consequences: Proven discrimination charges resulted in severe sanctions during the 2023-24 season, including 5,510 match bans and over 1,300 hours of educational courses. The average ban for discrimination was seven matches.

04/12/2025

Is your league issuing fines without support? We offer the guidance, documentation, and training to reduce behavioural incidents and build stronger club systems, offering a support solution where governing bodies fail.

The Neurodiversity Mental Health and Safeguarding Academy: The UK's first ongoing academy for neurodiversity, mental health and safeguarding in grassroots football. CPD-certified training, monthly experts, unlimited club seats.

03/12/2025

Dissent is Down: Temporary dismissals, or "sin bins," introduced for dissent in grassroots adult leagues, have proven successful, leading to a 38% reduction in overall dismissals. This tool aims to promote respect and behavioural self-correction.

The Neurodiversity Mental Health and Safeguarding Academy: The UK's first ongoing academy for neurodiversity, mental health and safeguarding in grassroots football. CPD-certified training, monthly experts, unlimited club seats.

03/12/2025

Despite a "toxic" environment where 98% of officials experience verbal abuse, FA efforts have driven referee numbers up 20% to over 37,000, achieving a record-high 80% retention rate in 23-24. Institutional support is mitigating attrition - the abuse remains severe.

03/12/2025

Charlie Austin signs for The FMHA Academy!!!!!!

Charlie Austin (Ex Southampton, Burnley, QPR) is a former Premier League striker, UEFA B licensed coach and advocate for neurodiversity in football. His career has been marked by determination, goal-scoring prowess and a recent commitment to promoting understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions in the sport.

In 2024, at the age of 34, Charlie was diagnosed with combined ADHD. This diagnosis came after both of his daughters were identified as having ADHD and autism. His personal experience as both a professional footballer and a parent of neurodivergent children provides him with unique insights into the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in football.

Since his diagnosis, Charlie has become a passionate advocate for neurodiversity inclusion in football and is seeing an increased number of current and ex-professionals reach out to him in confidence to discuss the condition after sensing they may be neurodivergent.

Charlie brings his wealth of experience as a professional footballer, a coach and his personal journey with neurodiversity to the Academy, offering an unparalleled base of knowledge and experience in the arena of neurodiversity and professional football.

www.fmha.academy

03/12/2025

Get continuous professional development from recognised experts in Equality Act compliance, Safeguarding, Neurodiversity, and Mental Health. Access specialised knowledge unavailable through standard FA courses.

The Neurodiversity Mental Health and Safeguarding Academy: The UK's first ongoing academy for neurodiversity, mental health and safeguarding in grassroots football. CPD-certified training, monthly experts, unlimited club seats.

03/12/2025

Stop expecting volunteers to be "Pep Guardiola and Jordan Peterson all in one go." Club Membership grants UNLIMITED seats so EVERY coach, volunteer, and committee member gets foundational training and support.

The Neurodiversity Mental Health and Safeguarding Academy: The UK's first ongoing academy for neurodiversity, mental health and safeguarding in grassroots football. CPD-certified training, monthly experts, unlimited club seats.

02/12/2025

Neurodiversity ( , , ) and needs are not "edge cases" - they are mainstream, affecting over 50% of students in schools. This pressure is coming downstream to grassroots clubs. Equip ALL your volunteers now:

The Neurodiversity Mental Health and Safeguarding Academy: The UK's first ongoing academy for neurodiversity, mental health and safeguarding in grassroots football. CPD-certified training, monthly experts, unlimited club seats.

02/12/2025

Club Accountability Shift: The FA is enforcing league sanctions, including points deductions for clubs, where repeated serious misconduct - especially spectator-led discriminatory abuse - occurs. This forces clubs to police parents and supporters.

The Neurodiversity Mental Health and Safeguarding Academy: The UK's first ongoing academy for neurodiversity, mental health and safeguarding in grassroots football. CPD-certified training, monthly experts, unlimited club seats.