SAFEGUARDING
At Colchester United Football Club (CUFC), safeguarding is not simply a policy - it is a shared responsibility. We are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every child, young person, and adult at risk who engages with the Club, whether through the First Team, Academy, Community Foundation, or matchday and event activity.
What Safeguarding means to us:
Safeguarding can be a complex area, but our approach is designed to be clear, practical, and accessible to everyone. To support this, we use our Safeguarding Framework, which is built around three core principles:
Safe people - Safe Environments - Safe Behaviour
These principles form the golden thread that runs through all aspects of Club activity. They provide a clear and consistent structure for how we recruit, train, engage, and deliver inclusive, secure, and high-quality experiences - always upholding the highest standards of conduct.
At CUFC, we believe it is never acceptable for a child, young person, or adult at risk to experience abuse or harm of any kind. The Club is fully committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for everyone involved in our activities -including children, families, adults at risk, staff, volunteers, and our wider community.
This commitment extends across all areas of Colchester United Football Club - from players and staff to visitors and community - and applies to all departments and delivery settings.
Why This Matters
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Our core principles of safeguarding - Safe People, Safe Environments, Safe Behaviour – helps to ensure that our approach is embedded across all areas of the Club and in daily practice.
By keeping these principles strong, we can help protect one another and maintain a culture of safety and respect.
What to do if you have a Safeguarding Concern:
If someone is at immediate risk of harm, please call 999 without delay.
If you have a safeguarding concern related to any part of Colchester United Football Club, please contact our Safeguarding Team:
Senior Safeguarding Manager: Tim.Waddington@Colchesterunited.net
Academy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Academy Manager: James.mcfarlane@colchesterunited.net
Academy Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Head of Player Care: Kodai.abe@colchesterunited.net
Community Foundation Designated Safeguarding Lead: CEO: corin.haines@colchesterunited.net
Community Foundation Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: COO: rick.goldsbrough@colchesterunited.net
All concerns are taken seriously and will be responded to promptly and appropriately in line with Club policy and relevant legislation.
Other contacts for support
Essex FA:
The Essex FA Safeguarding Team can be accessed HERE
NSPCC:
NSPCC can be accessed HERE
NSPCC 24 hour helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000
Text 88858
Email help@nspcc.org.uk
Local Authority Designated Safeguarding team:
Contact LADO@essex.gov.uk
Call 03330 139 797
Out of Hours Emergency Duty Team: 0345 606 1212
Other support links
Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/
Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/
For the full Colchester United Safeguarding Policy, click HERE
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
The Football League is responsible for setting the standards, values and expectations of all Clubs in relation to equality, inclusion and diversity. Football is for everyone; it belongs to, and should be enjoyed by anyone who wants to participate in it, whether as a player, official, staff member or spectator.
The aim of the Colchester United FC Equality Policy is to promote our own equality objectives and in doing so, help to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect. All Colchester United FC representatives should abide and adhere to this Policy and to the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. In doing so, we are working towards being legally compliant in relation to equality legislation.
Colchester United FC’s commitment is to promote inclusion and to confront and eliminate discrimination whether by reason of age, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marital status or civil partnership race, nationality, ethnicity (race), religion or belief, ability or disability, pregnancy and maternity and to encourage equal opportunities. These are known as ‘protected characteristics’ under the Equality Act 2010.
This Policy is fully supported by the Board of Colchester United FC and General Manager, Tim Waddington, is responsible for the implementation of this policy.
Colchester United FC will ensure that it treats everyone fairly and with respect and that it will provide access and opportunities for all members of the community to take part in, and enjoy, its activities. Every staff member, Board member, official, spectator, fan and visiting teams an be assured of an environment in which their rights, dignity and individual worth are respected, and in particular that they are able to work and watch football in an environment without the threat of intimidation, victimisation, harassment or abuse.
Equality, Diversity & inclusion Policy
For the club's full policy, click HERE
Access Statement
Colchester United remain firmly committed to ensuring that the JobServe Community Stadium is as accessible, inclusive and welcoming as possible for all supporters, visitors and staff. The club recognises that accessibility is an essential part of delivering a positive matchday and community experience and continues to work towards embedding inclusive practices across its facilities, operations and decision-making.
In line with this commitment, the club commissioned a comprehensive Access Audit from Level Playing Field in February 2023, the findings of which have formed an ongoing Action Plan that is actively being progressed by the club.
To see the full Access Statement, click HERE.
Complaints and compliance
Colchester United FC regards all of the forms of discriminatory behaviour as unacceptable and is concerned to ensure that individuals feel able to raise any bona fide grievance or complaint related to such behaviour without fear of being penalised for doing so. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against any employee, member or volunteer, spectator or fan who is found, after a full investigation, to have violated the Equality Policy.
Reporting Procedure
If you see or hear anything you think is discriminatory, in either speech or actions, you can report it immediately via Colchester United's YourVoice platform. Email your.voice@colchesterunited.net with as much detail as possible and the matter will be dealt with accordingly.
Positive Action and Training
Colchester United FC is committed to equality inclusion and anti-discrimination as part of The Football League’s Code of Practice. Colchester United FC will commit to a programme of raising awareness and educating, investigating concerns and applying relevant and proportionate sanctions, campaigning, widening diversity and representation and promoting diverse role models, which we believe are all key actions to promote inclusion and eradicate discrimination within football. This Equality Policy will be reviewed and updated, if required, on an annual basis.