Berks and Bucks FA publishes Inclusive Language Guide to promote inclusivity in grassroots football

Berks and Bucks FA has published a 26-page Inclusive Language Guide for grassroots football across its 600 clubs and 34,000 players, aiming to foster a more welcoming environment on and off the pitch.

The guide calls for replacing common phrases deemed offensive or exclusive, including come on lads with come on team and linesman with assistant referee. It also prescribes hi all, replacing ladies and gentlemen; parent/carer instead of mother; bring your partner instead of bring your wife; and everyone instead of guys when addressing a squad. The document emphasizes that language sets the tone and can determine whether players, referees, coaches, parents and volunteers feel valued, included and able to participate.

The 26-page guide warns that footballing lingo can be outdated and that certain phrases can make people feel unwelcome, unsafe or excluded from the sport. It notes that language can undermine the inclusive environment the governing body seeks to create. It also flags age-related phrases such as you are just a kid and expressions that allude to disability, like that is insane, as terms to avoid. The guide discourages describing players and officials by nationality or ethnicity, urging staff to find alternative distinguishing factors, for example the colour of boots.

In a section labeled football tips, the document instructs staff and volunteers to avoid sarcasm and sensory overload to prevent offense. It also provides a process for accountability: if someone slips up, they should acknowledge the error, apologise and learn from it, with the suggested line thanks for the feedback - I'll do better next time. Those who overhear a linguistic mistake are advised to report it to the Club Welfare Officer or to Berks and Bucks FA.

The guide is pitched at everyone involved in grassroots football, including players, referees, coaches, parents and volunteers, and aims to reach all 34,000 participants in the region's clubs.

Reaction to the guide was mixed. Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense group of Conservative MPs, told The Telegraph that the move amounts to censorship. He said, at best this is daft and at worst sinister, arguing that language distortion has been the work of tyrants throughout history. He added a jab at young players: and so my message to young, current and aspiring footballers is come on lads.

Callum Salhotra, Community and Inclusion Manager for Berks and Bucks FA, framed the guide as a practical step toward belonging. He said football has the power to unite communities and change lives, but only if everyone feels they belong. Language, he said, is central to that aim.

The Daily Mail, which has covered the guide, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Offensive footballing terms, according to the guide, include those on a long list of words and phrases that should be avoided or replaced, with the aspiration that players, referees and volunteers across grassroots football feel welcome and respected.