Safeguarding & Welfare

If you have information of a safeguarding nature where a child or adult is in immediate danger or requires immediate medical attention call the emergency services on 999.

Safeguarding & Welfare

Our Club Welfare Officers (CWOs) are Mike Witcombe and Joel Floyd who should be contacted for anything to do with safeguarding or player welfare, using the following Safeguarding & Welfare Contact form:

Youth Players’ Code of Conduct

Parents’ Code of Conduct

Coaches’ Code of Conduct

Match Officials’ Code of Conduct

Safeguarding Awareness for Parents & Carers

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility – but are you clear about the vital role you can play?

We strongly encourage all of our players’ parents and carers to complete this FREE and short, 25-30 minute, FA course.

We Take Our Responsibility Seriously

Witney Vikings Youth FC takes its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child, young person or vulnerable adult who has been entrusted to its care very seriously. Children and young people are the paramount consideration. All children have the right to take part in sports, and football should always be fun, inclusive and safe for any child. Therefore, the Club’s ethos is important; we believe that football should always be a positive experience, building our children’s confidence, encouraging teamwork and support.

The Club Welfare Officers (CWOs) are responsible for dealing with any report of abuse. This includes protecting children from any kind of abuse including; discrimination, bullying, disability, illness, unethical behaviour, drugs and alcohol, and economic hardship, as they all have an impact on the player.

Child welfare is the responsibility of every adult in the Club, when it comes to protecting children from abuse. The CWOs are there as a first point of contact for any player, parent, coach or volunteer who has concerns.

How does Witney Vikings protect our children?

Firstly, we ensure that all coaches and managers who work with children have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks – there are no exceptions to this rule.

Secondly, we are an England Football Accredited club, which means we must meet the highest safeguarding standards, and this includes each team having at least one FA Level 1 in Coaching qualified coach, and any assistant must be qualified in First Aid and Safeguarding Children. We also have expert coaches and other professionals advising and mentoring the club on a regular basis.

Thirdly, the club takes the FA Respect Campaign very seriously and implements it at all home matches. This is about respecting everyone in the game, and actively tackling the aggressive culture that has marred youth football in the past. This requires everyone to proactively encourage positive behaviours – especially spectators on the touchline, by standing behind the respect barriers, respecting referee decisions and supporting both sides in the spirit of fair play.

Youth Heading Guidance

The FA has been granted approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to introduce a new trial to remove deliberate heading in football matches across U12 level and below in England from the start of the 2022-23 season.

Should the trial be a success, the aim is to then remove deliberate heading from all football matches at U12 level and below from the 2023-24 season. This step will bring matches across these age groups in line with current heading guidance for training, which already recommends that heading is eliminated or restricted at this level.

You can read the full FA statement here:

You can see a copy of the Youth Heading Guidance Chart here:

Finally, we must all stay vigilant. Any behaviour which leads to concerns of any sort should be reported to the CWOs. A multi-agency approach is essential in safeguarding and Witney Vikings Youth FC works closely with the Welfare Team at Oxfordshire FA, based in Witney, and also with the Police or other statutory agencies as necessary. Thankfully, most incidents are relatively minor, but please refer to the contact details below if ever needed. The welfare of our children is paramount. It is a core part of Witney Vikings’ ethos that we value fair play over winning and believe in developing the skills of our young players. This depends on all of us adults involved with the club, both to maintain these standards and to ensure that football is played for the right reasons: for the fun of the game, and for the benefit of all the players on the pitch.

We train on a Monday at Burwell Meadow in Spring/Summer from 5.30-6.30pm and at the Wood Green School ATP in Winter from 5.30-6.30pm.

Childline is a free, private and confidential service where you can be you. Contact Childline on

0800 1111 or Visit the Childline website

The NSPCC Helpline is a free, 24-hour service which provides advice to anyone worried about a child.

0808 800 5000 or Visit the NSPCC website

Worried about online sexual abuse? Make a report to Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP)

If you have a question about anything to do with safeguarding or player welfare, please talk to Oxfordshire FA’s Education, Safeguarding and Referee Support Manager, Nigel Saverton. He can be contacted on

safeguarding@oxfordshirefa.com or

07852 722540