They Think Its All Over Archives

“They Think It’s All Over”: A Campaign to End Abuse Inside and Outside of Sports

“They Think It’s All Over”: A Campaign to End Abuse Inside and Outside of Sports

At First Light, we’re proud to launch our groundbreaking campaign, “They Think It’s All Over”, aimed at shining a light on the hidden corners of abuse within sport. As a leading charity supporting anyone affected by domestic abuse, sexual violence, and church-related abuse, we know that the issue doesn’t end with the final whistle of the Euro’s, and it’s not confined to football alone.

While football clubs make up just 12% of all sports clubs in the UK, abuse can be found across every sport. From professional leagues to grassroots clubs, sexual violence and domestic abuse impact individuals of all ages and genders.

There are approximately 151,000 sports clubs in the UK, and we’re calling for stronger safeguarding measures to protect players, fan bases, supporters, followers, friends, and families. No one should fear abuse when they step onto the pitch, the court, or the field.

Through this campaign, we’ll be sharing powerful statistics and real stories from across the sporting world to show that abuse in and outside of sport is a widespread issue. It demands urgent attention and societal change.

Our Research: Building Safer Sport from the Ground Up

As part of our ongoing commitment to ending abuse in sport, we’ve been conducting our own research into the links between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sporting environments. This research will help us build a case for funding to develop free safeguarding training for grassroots sports clubs across the UK.

We believe that every club, no matter its size or level, should have access to the tools and knowledge needed to create safe, inclusive spaces for everyone involved.

Help Us Shape the Future of Safe Sport

If you’re involved in sport in any way, whether you play, coach, volunteer, or are a parent or carer of someone who does, we want to hear from you.

Please take a few minutes to complete our survey. Your insights will help us understand the realities of abuse in sport and strengthen our case for change.

How You Can Get Involved

Spread the Word: Share our campaign with friends, family, and local sports clubs. Help us advocate for safe environments where people feel empowered to disclose abuse in a safe and inclusive space.
Support the Research: Champion more research into the links between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sport.
Promote Safe Sport: Push for better safeguarding in your local sports clubs, whether professional or grassroots.
Stay Informed: Follow our campaign to stay updated and learn more about the scale of the problem.

Change starts with you. Join us, because sport should never come with abuse

View previous campaigns posts

Sports Engagement Survey

We Need Your Help: Share Your Unique Knowledge and Perspective in Our Anonymous Survey

We are seeking funding to provide free training to sports teams, players, and coaches.

However, due to the lack of data around sports and abuse, we need to learn more.

We are asking for your help if you

run a sports club,
are a coach,
a player,
a parent of a player,
a volunteer,
or any associate of a sports club.

Please select the anonymous survey that is most relevant to you below.

The questionnaire will take around 5 minutes, is completely confidential, and we are not gathering any personal details.

We are only recording information that provides insights, knowledge, understanding, and support.

Your time and response will help us understand where more work is needed and will open the doors to free training and resources.

Our campaign, “They Think It’s All Over”, is here to highlight the dark corners of sports where abuse is hidden.

We believe that more research needs to be conducted into the relationship between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sports.

We need to understand the full scope of the problem to tackle it effectively.

There are 151,000 sports clubs in the UK, from professional leagues to grassroots clubs, we’re calling for better safeguarding measures to protect players, fan bases, supporter, followers, friends and families.

No one should fear abuse when they step onto the pitch, the court, or the field.

Your responses will allow us to identify and evidence where more training is needed, enabling us to secure funding to provide free training and resources.

If you would like to know more about the data and information we collect. Please click on the Privacy Statement here: Privacy Policy

Click the buttons below to access resources for organisations, young people, and information on how to have open conversations with young people.

You can also find self-care support and locate your nearest service. (*Please note this will take you to the Victim Support website. Click on “Find help near you.”)

If you would like more information about the survey or our campaign, please enter your details below, and someone will be happy to contact you.

Name(Required)

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Paralympics – “They Think It’s All Over”

“They Think It’s All Over”: A Campaign to End Abuse Inside and Outside of Sports

The Paralympics will feature 23 sports, with a total of 549 events, 169 delegations, and 4,400 athletes. The athletes are classified based on their disabilities to ensure fair competition. This classification system doesn’t exist in the Olympics, making it difficult for Paralympians to compete directly. Paralympians often face additional challenges in accessing high-performance training facilities and resources compared to their Olympic counterparts. But this isn’t just about a single sport, it is about all sports. Each one has potential links to sexual violence and domestic abuse, affecting children and adults of any gender.

Our campaign, “They Think It’s All Over,” is here to highlight the dark corners of sports where abuse is hidden. We believe that more research needs to be conducted into the relationship between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sports. We need to understand the full scope of the problem to tackle it effectively.

We launched this campaign at the end of the Euros 2024 to start conversations around abuse in sport and to begin highlighting the issues within sport where abuse could hide.

In just over a month, we have had groundbreaking conversations with amazing organisations working in sport around safeguarding. Many charities and organisations have got involved, sharing our campaign and calling for real change within sport.

There are 151,000 sports clubs in the UK, from professional leagues to grassroots clubs, and we are at the starting point to create better safeguarding measures to protect players, fan bases, supporters, followers, friends, and families. But this is only the beginning; we have a lot more work to do, and you can help by getting involved.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Spread the Word
Share our campaign with your friends, family, and local sports clubs to advocate for safe environments that stand against abuse and enable people to disclose any abuse in a safe and inclusive environment using the hashtag #TheyThinkItsAllOver.

Support the Research
We’re advocating for more research into the relationship between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sports.

Promote Safe Sports
Advocate for better safeguarding measures in your local sports clubs, from professional leagues to grassroots clubs.

Stay Informed
Over the course of our campaign, we’ll be sharing statistics and stories from a range of sports.

No one should fear abuse when they step onto the pitch, the court, or the field. We want to show the world that abuse in and outside of sports is a widespread problem that needs urgent attention as part of a societal change. Join us, because sports shouldn’t come with abuse.

Follow us to stay updated and learn more about the extent of the problem:

Facebook: @FirstLightSW
Twitter: @FirstLightSW
LinkedIn: @First Light Southwest
Instagram: @FirstLight.SW

Remember, change starts with you.

The Olympics – “They Think It’s All Over”

𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲. The Olympics, the world’s largest sporting event, features 𝟑𝟐 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, with 𝟏𝟎,𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 from 𝟐𝟎𝟔 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐬. In the UK, the selection process is highly competitive, with thousands of athletes training rigorously for years. However, only a tiny fraction of these athletes ultimately qualify for the Olympics. The journey to the Olympics is incredibly challenging, requiring not only talent and skills but also dedication and the support of those around them.

Our campaign, “They Think It’s All Over”, addresses all sports. Each one has potential links to sexual violence and domestic abuse, affecting children and adults of any gender. Our campaign aims to highlight the dark corners of sports where abuse is hidden. We believe that more research needs to be conducted into the relationship between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sports. Understanding the full scope of the problem is essential to tackling it effectively.

There are 151,000 sports clubs in the UK, from professional leagues to grassroots clubs. We’re calling for better safeguarding measures to protect players, fan bases, supporters, followers, friends, and families. 𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝.

No one should fear abuse when they step onto the pitch, the court, or the field.

Over the course of our campaign, we’ll be sharing statistics and stories from a range of sports, highlighting that this issue is not confined to one sport. We want to show the world that abuse in and outside of sports is a widespread problem that needs urgent attention as part of a societal change.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Spread the Word

Share our campaign with your friends, family, and local sports clubs to advocate for safe environments that stand against abuse and enable people disclose any abuse in a safe and inclusive environment using hashtag #TheyThinkItsAllOver.

Support the Research

We’re advocating for more research into the relationship between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sports.

Promote Safe Sports

Advocate for better safeguarding measures in your local sports clubs. From professional leagues to grassroots clubs.

Stay Informed

Over the course of our campaign, we’ll be sharing statistics and stories from a range of sports.

Follow us to stay updated and learn more about the extent of the problem.

Facebook: @FirstLightSW

Twitter: @FirstLightSW

Linkedin: @First Light Southwest

Instagram: @FirstLight.SW

Remember, change starts with you.

Join us, because sports shouldn’t come with abuse.

“They Think It’s All Over”: A Campaign to End Abuse inside and outside of Sports

Abuse doesn’t end when the final whistle blows at the Euro’s. In the UK, football clubs make up just 12% of all sports clubs, but this isn’t just about football, it is about all sports. Each one has potential links to sexual violence and domestic abuse, affecting children and adults of any gender.

Our campaign, “They Think It’s All Over”, is here to highlight the dark corners of sports where abuse is hidden. We believe that more research needs to be conducted into the relationship between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sports. We need to understand the full scope of the problem to tackle it effectively.

No one should fear abuse when they step onto the pitch, the court, or the field.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Spread the Word

Support the Research

We’re advocating for more research into the relationship between sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sports.

Promote Safe Sports

Advocate for better safeguarding measures in your local sports clubs. From professional leagues to grassroots clubs.

Stay Informed

Over the course of our campaign, we’ll be sharing statistics and stories from a range of sports.

Follow us to stay updated and learn more about the extent of the problem.

Facebook: @FirstLightSW

Twitter: @FirstLightSW

Linkedin: @First Light Southwest

Instagram: @FirstLight.SW

Remember, change starts with you.

Join us, because sports shouldn’t come with abuse.