Cambridge United sign up to abuse reporting app

Cambridge United have become the first football club to sign up to a new app dedicated to reporting abuse at matches.

The founders of the Football Safety App, launched last month, hope to confront the "escalating abuse crisis in football, online, in stadiums and beyond".

Sarah King, safeguarding officer at the club, said the U's were "proud to be leading the way in helping to make football safer and more enjoyable for everyone".

Former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey is a director of the platform.

Having faced racism during his own career, the 48-year-old said today's abuse was more constant and far-reaching, driven by social media and digital platforms.

He does not want the next generation growing up thinking this behaviour is normal.

Heskey said that despite meetings with other Premier League and English Football League representatives, only Cambridge had shown "real leadership and a willingness to act".

"We can't keep saying abuse is unacceptable and then doing nothing about it," said Heskey, who earned 62 caps for England.

The app works by offering a club access to a real-time reporting system.

All reports are sent to a 24-hour control room, where trained analysts filter out misuse and escalate what they consider to be verified cases.

The company behind the app said the platform would work directly with football clubs, online platforms and the police, "helping ensure serious incidents are handled appropriately and consistently".

It is free to download and use and is self-funding, the app managers said.

Clubs do not pay for the app; instead users are automatically checked into fixtures and can access a range of rewards for engagement. A spokesperson said clubs would benefit from anonymised data that might highlight patterns, hotspots and repeat issues at their grounds.

Rich Cooksley, head of operations at United, said: "This pioneering software will allow our supporters to have a simple and efficient way of reporting any incidents."

The U's said the app would be in operation for the first time at their home fixture on 27 January against Shrewsbury Town.

The club also said its existing reporting platforms, such as its matchday text number, would continue to operate.

Two directors behind the app also set up a safety app for students in August.

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