Respect Campaign

Everton are backing the Respect programme, which was unveiled on Tuesday.

The programme will be implemented in both professional and grassroots football, and encompasses not only respect towards match officials, but also the conduct of overly-competitive coaches and parents on the sidelines at grassroots youth games.
 
It represents a shared commitment between The FA, Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers Association, League Managers Association, Professional Game Match Officials, County FAs and regional and local leagues.

New Respect measures will be in place for the kick-off to the Football League season.

FA chief executive Brian Barwick said: “I’m delighted that the whole game is working together on this issue. There is a general agreement that something has to be done to improve levels of respect, for the game’s long-term health."

And Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore added: “Football engages, motivates and inspires – but at times we know it can spill over and get ugly. We all have a responsibility to deal with these excesses, and I sense there is a commitment from all quarters of the game – including the media – to deal with it."

One of the new measures sees captains taking greater responsibility for the behaviour of their team.

Referees will also meet with opposing managers and skippers before the game to discuss how they will manage the game.

The team handshake that is already familiar in the Premier League will be rolled out to the Football League as well, while managers will be expected to improve their conduct in the technical area.