OYFC promoting safeguarding, welfare and child wellbeing

October 26, 2018

For the uninitiated, in grassroots youth football the start of every game is preceded with both sets of teams exchanging registration cards to ensure the young footballers on the pitch are correctly affiliated to the team they are playing for. Strangely, this is not done for the adults who are in charge of their respective teams and who take their place on the side of the football as coach or manager.

This season, community football club Omonia Youth FC, sponsored by PIA Financial Group and Philip Ross Solicitors, have taken the positive step in telling all their coaches and managers that whenever they are training with their teams and on every match day they are to wear club assigned lanyards displaying their FA Coaching License card which identifies who they are. The card is physical proof that the wearer is licensed by the FA to coach children. In addition, each card gives expiry details for the FA’s Criminal Records Check (CRC), Football First Aid and Safeguarding Children Education. It also shows the coaching level of the coach. The club is trying to encourage the relevant authorities to ensure this is done for all youth football matches.

This season the club has also formed sub-committee groups which includes a designated group for Safeguarding, Welfare and Child Wellbeing. A club statement from their latest newsletter reads: “As a youth football club, our number one priority is the welfare, safety and the wellbeing of all our young footballers. We have this season taken the decision to have more than one designated welfare officer at the club.”

“Child welfare and safeguarding will always be taken extremely seriously. As a club we strive to ensure training and match days are creative, fair, fun and above all safe environments for all our young footballers.”

“The club’s designated welfare officers this season are: Chris Mousicos (Vice Chair and Manager U14 Gold), Kyri Georgiou (Manager Under 18 Green), Andi Panayiotou (Manager U10 Gold), George Pantelides (Manager U14 Girls), Sophia Karanicholas (Manager U11 Girls), Xenia Acar (Parent), Maria Lingis Othona (Parent) and Aria Zavrou (Parent)”

There is also a pinned post on the club’s website about ‘Football, Safeguarding, Welfare and Child Wellbeing’. Do go and take a look at www.omoniayouthfc.com. There will shortly also be a dedicated area on the website for welfare and safeguarding.