First-ever affiliation removal under tougher behaviour sanctions

At the start of the 24-25 season, we introduced a number of new interventions to drive positive behaviour across grassroots football and act as a clear deterrent against unacceptable behaviour.

This included new penalty points accumulations, continued league points deductions, revamped Sinbins, and a new Grassroots Code of Conduct. 

As a result, we have taken action to remove Pan Community First’s England Football affiliation as part of tougher sanctions to tackle poor behaviour, in a first of its kind sanction for grassroots football. 

The decision was reached by an independent Regulatory Commission and means the grassroots team, part of Pan Sports FC based in the Isle of Wight, will no longer be able to play in any fixtures for the remainder of the season, as a result of their unacceptable disciplinary record. 

This included 3 dissent cautions, 3 club charges for failing to control officials/spectators, 2 violent conduct dismissals, 3 offensive language dismissals, 2 dismissals for repeated dissent and 4 misconduct charges for abusive language including against a match official.

This season we launched our Behaviour Improvement Programme aimed at supporting teams to make a positive behaviour change. The new interventions form part of the ‘Love Football. Protect The Game’ campaign to introduce enhanced measures and tougher sanctions so that everyone can enjoy the game in a positive and enjoyable environment.

The Behaviour Improvement Programme is tackling poor behaviour across the club network using discipline and respect score data for the first time. Over the first half of the season all clubs have been monitored and accumulated penalty points for non-football related incidents such as dissent, abuse of referees and players, and other incidents of serious misconduct. Clubs have also received respect scores from opponents.

This has created a league table where we can see our worst and most consistent offenders. Teams that have continuous instances of poor behaviour are highlighted through penalty point accumulations, respect scores and through County FA knowledge.

From January 2025, up to 1,800 of the worst disciplined teams for both youth and adult football have been placed on to the Behaviour Improvement Programme.

This consists of:

- A physical resource pack with relevant inventory to be placed around the matchday and club environment to support the new Respect Standard such as Respect barriers, posters, boards, signage and codes of conduct

- Requirement for team coach to attend a behaviour improvement workshop

- A visit from their County FA 

- Review and follow up of their behaviour for the next 6 months

- Following this, further sanctions and punishments could be issued if we do not see an improvement in behaviour, through the accumulation of penalty points.

The Behaviour Improvement Programme is being piloted across 39 of our County FAs and 29,000 teams are currently being monitored across the full club network. 18,000 teams have so far accumulated penalty points of any kind, and only 340 teams have accumulated more than 50 penalty points.

Alan Darfi, our Senior Discipline Manager said: "We believe our Behaviour Improvement Programme and refreshed approach to penalty points have the potential to be a game-changing initiative to tackle poor behaviour across the grassroots game. The removal of England Football Affiliation is a last resort, and we are encouraged that many clubs are addressing poor behaviours at the initial point of intervention. However, we have been very clear that if clubs continue to demonstrate unacceptable behaviours, then we will take action, and the removal of affiliation in this instance serves as a stark reminder of the consequences.”