June 23 – The German Football Association (DFB) has launched a nationwide safeguarding campaign aimed at strengthening child protection standards across grassroots football, with the governing body targeting thousands of amateur clubs across the country.
The initiative, titled “Mein Spiel. Meine Grenze.” (“My Game. My Limit.”), was unveiled on World Children’s Day (June 22) and is designed to raise awareness of children’s rights in sport while giving clubs practical tools to deal with safeguarding issues.
At its core, the campaign is aimed at making safeguarding less of an abstract policy and more of a day-to-day responsibility for coaches, volunteers and parents working in Germany’s 24,000 grassroots clubs.
The DFB is supporting clubs to put formal protection structures in place, as well as improving how concerns are reported and handled when they arise. It is part of a longer-term effort to standardise safeguarding across an amateur game that varies widely from region to region.
Germany internationals Oliver Baumann and Joshua Kimmich were involved in the launch, which also included an event at the DFB Campus attended by children and young players, delivered in partnership with UNICEF.
A key part of the rollout is a set of practical materials aimed at different groups within the game. Children will receive simple, age-appropriate information explaining their rights in football and where they can go for help if something does not feel right.
The DFB has produced guidance for coaches and parents alike on recognising warning signs, responding to concerns and understanding appropriate boundaries in youth sport. Clubs are also being given more detailed safeguarding handbooks covering policies and reporting procedures.
Alongside this, posters, online resources and short videos are being distributed to help clubs communicate the message locally.
Safeguarding has become a growing focus for governing bodies across European football in recent years, but the challenge is scale. In Germany, the system leans on the support of volunteers – many of whom are balancing football duties with full-time jobs and limited formal training.
The DFB says the aim is to make safeguarding part of everyday club culture rather than something handled only when problems arise.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]
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