Portsmouth FC v Sheffield Wednesday will be the next ‘Respect fixture’; an opportunity for Hampshire FA and Portsmouth FC to promote the importance of Respect within football.

For several years now, Hampshire FA and Portsmouth FC have collaborated to deliver ‘Respect fixtures’, giving both organisations the opportunity to demonstrate their endorsement of The FA’s Respect programme and promote the importance of Respect within football.

On Tuesday 7th December 2021, Hampshire FA and Portsmouth FC will once again be teaming up to make Portsmouth’s home fixture against Sheffield Wednesday the next Respect fixture. On top of the usual excitement and entertainment of a League One encounter, those heading to Fratton Park for the match can expect to see The FA’s Respect programme promoted across banners, t-shirts and promotional goods.

Discussing the Respect Fixture, Hampshire FA CEO, Neil Cassar, said: “Hampshire FA continues to fully endorse The FA’s Respect programme across all aspects of the County FA. We’re committed to creating a positive environment for all to enjoy football and everyone involved in football, from grassroots up to elite level, has a part to play in doing so. I’d like to thank Portsmouth FC for their support, providing this fantastic opportunity to, once again, promote the importance of Respect within Hampshire’s football community. I hope everyone enjoys a great game of football and recognises the importance of respect and the role that they can play in encouraging a positive environment.”

Discussing Hampshire FA’s current Respect campaigns, Hampshire FA Respect Lead, Charlotte Langley-Brown, said: “Respect remains a pivotal aspect of Hampshire FA’s ongoing work to make sure football is for all. On top of endorsing The FA’s Respect programme across everything that we do, we have our own initiatives such as Respect fixtures in association with Portsmouth FC, Their Game Weekends, and yellow armbands for under-18 referees. These localised initiatives are key in supporting the principles of The FA’s Respect Programme, helping to foster a positive environment within Hampshire’s grassroots football community and enable everyone to enjoy the game.”

The FA’s Respect programme is all about creating a fun, safe and inclusive environment for all. The programme provides clubs and individuals with resources to help promote Respect, learning that can help individuals encourage Respect within the game, and a variety of other supporting campaigns such as ‘21 Days of Positivity’ that help encourage a more positive environment within football.

Recently, The FA has worked closely with their partners at Nationwide Building Society to promote #MutualRespect. Campaigns have included:

• Mutual Respect Award – Monthly award for members of the grassroots football community who go above and beyond to create a positive environment and encourage Respect. Congratulations to Hampshire’s Tina Jacobs (Victory Hants), who was February’s winner of the Nationwide Mutual Respect Award.
• Coin For Respect – A competition for young people to design a coin, for referees to use for the coin toss, that starts every game with Respect.
• Mutual Respect Grant Fund – 50 grants of £1,000 available to clubs who are passionate about building mutual respect within grassroots football. Congratulations to Hampshire’s Basing Royals FC and Hartley Wintney Junior FC, who were successful in applying for this funding.

Even more recently, England Football has launched a new ‘Respect the Ref’ campaign, which focusses on the importance of creating a positive environment for referees to enjoy the game.

The campaign aims to show the personal side to being a referee by sharing real life refereeing stories and experiences, which can be found on the Respect the Ref page of the England Football website. As part of this campaign, Hampshire FA caught up with local referee, Justyn Leonard, to share his refereeing story.

It is hoped that the array of different programmes and campaigns giving Respect more visibility and promotion will continue to make football a more positive environment for all. For more information about Respect, please contact Charlotte.Langley-Brown@HampshireFA.com