TO ALL OUR LEAGUES AND CLUBS

West Riding FA will be joining the collective Weekend of Action on 30 April – 3 May, which will include a social media boycott of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram across football, in an aim to raise awareness of the issues surrounding online abuse and highlight the greater preventative measures required by social media platforms to stop online abuse occurring. The social media boycott will run from 3pm on Friday 30 April to 11.59pm on Monday 3 May.

Tackling online discriminatory abuse is a priority for us all. Whilst we are taking action by asking social media companies to do more (as outlined in The FA’s open letter published in February), we recognise that players across the game and many others connected to it from all backgrounds continue to receive sexist, racist and other forms of discriminatory abuse. We believe that football needs to unite to highlight the need for social media platforms to do more.

This is an important time in the developing debate about achieving meaningful change. Following English football’s open letter to social media companies in February, the Government hosted a roundtable with the social media companies and football stakeholders on Thursday 22 April. Therefore, a collective Weekend of Action, including a social media boycott, would help make a strong and well-timed collective statement.

Therefore, alongside The FA, County FA's, Premier League, EFL, PFA, LMA, PGMOL, Kick It Out, Women in Football and the FSA, West Riding FA is asking clubs and leagues across the National Leagues System, women’s football pyramid and grassroots game to join the ‘social media switch-off’ over the weekend of 30 April – 3 May 2021. Recognising a unified approach will deliver much greater impact and reinforce our collective fight against discrimination in all its forms.

We recognise the timing of the approach is not without its challenges and that these platforms play a crucial role in your ability to communicate and engage with clubs and supporters. As such, it’s worth clarifying that the boycott applies to the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram platforms, where online abuse can be posted, and so the continued use of your league or club websites would be fine.

However, we ask clubs and leagues to stand together with English football by turning off all social media channels during this period and redirect fans to other club and FA platforms. We appreciate this comes down to individual choice and that some may wish to protest in different ways that fit with their respective approaches to the issues and existing anti-discrimination campaigns.

Further assets to support this campaign will be circulated direct to leagues and clubs in due course. Should you wish to clarify anything in relation to the boycott, please email NLS@thefa.com.

Thank you in advance for your support – it is appreciated.