Recognise And Celebrate

Steven Wade, England

England Football and Goal Click have teamed up to create a powerful storytelling series spotlighting how grassroots clubs across England bring The FA’s five pillars of Respect the Standard to life. Nine clubs throughout the country have shared the behaviour-focused initiatives they take to promote positive change.

As the Chief Executive Officer of North Riding FA, Steven Wade and his team have introduced initiatives, like Match Day Assistants and referee body cams, to promote positive behaviour within their teams.

My name is Steven Wade, and I was born and raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne. I have been the CEO of North Riding FA since 2017, following previous roles as Football Development Officer and County Development Manager.

My journey in football began at age eight, playing for my school team. By 11, I joined my first grassroots club. As a child, I attended the Sunderland AFC Centre of Excellence and had trials with two other professional clubs.

As an adult, I played football at Steps 6 and 7 of the National League System in Saturday football, and spent many years playing Sunday league. I am a qualified FA Level 2 coach, with experience managing both youth and adult grassroots teams.

Football is my biggest passion. It has introduced me to lifelong friends while shaping my personal and professional journey. I am fortunate that it has given me a career I love.

North Riding CFA

North Riding County FA was founded in 1881. We oversee the governance and development of football across Teesside and North Yorkshire. Our role is to support the delivery of The FA Grassroots Football Strategy at a local level.

We support our grassroots clubs in a variety of ways, including helping them to access funding to improve facilities, providing advice and guidance to develop new teams, supporting clubs with safeguarding and the training and development of coaches and referees.

We also help deliver The FA’s Respect the Standard programme locally, encouraging clubs to create positive, welcoming environments. Alongside this, we developed a Positive Football Environment Toolkit - a resource packed with practical ideas, codes of conduct, and workshops to help clubs foster a culture of respect and inclusivity. Some examples include club and player expectations, a parent's welcome pack, and positive sideline top tips.

We investigate and issue disciplinary charges, where appropriate, when there is evidence of inappropriate behaviour within the game. When clubs reach certain disciplinary point thresholds, we ask them to submit an action plan outlining how they will work to improve behaviour across their teams.

We also support clubs that have been enrolled in The FA’s Behaviour Improvement Programme, which focuses on helping teams that have been identified as needing support to raise behavioural standards.

In addition, we are currently running a pilot programme, called Rewarding Positive Behaviour, with the Scarborough & District Minor League, where clubs score their opponent's behaviour after every match. This initiative recognises and celebrates clubs that consistently demonstrate positive behaviour on and off the field.

Finally, we have been deploying Matchday Assistants to our youth games to create a welcoming and positive environment for match officials and the visiting teams. Wearing a high-vis vest marked ‘Matchday Assistant’, this person also serves as a point of contact during games should any inappropriate behaviour arise. The scheme has been well-received and embraced by many of our clubs.

We have also been trialling referee body cams in our adult league to help influence positive behaviour.

A wide range of clubs have benefited from North Riding’s initiatives. Several junior clubs, in particular, have shown real improvement in their behaviour. Notable examples of teams exhibiting positive behaviour include Whinney Banks Juniors, Riverside East Cleveland, and Tees FC.

Zero-Tolerance

Football clubs play a vital role in their local communities. Many of our clubs go above and beyond - offering diversionary activities for young people, promoting healthy and active lifestyles, raising money for charities, and creating a strong sense of pride and belonging.

At North Riding FA, our team works closely with grassroots clubs to help them operate, grow, and develop in a way that suits their goals. We support clubs in accessing funding and delivering FA programmes like Wildcats and Comets, which are designed to encourage participation among young girls and people with disabilities.

We are working towards a consistent, county-wide approach for how clubs address internal issues involving players, coaches, parents, or spectators with a clear zero-tolerance stance on poor behaviour.

Looking forward, we would like to see rising standards of respect across all areas of the game, including a reduction in incidents relating to poor behaviour towards referees. Ultimately, we hope to create a more positive and supportive playing environment for everyone involved.