Newport County is supporting the EFL’s Together Against Racism campaign in their fixture against Cheltenham Town on Saturday, October 18.
As part of this campaign, the club will show its support with in-stadium messaging, social media activity, and announcements highlighting the importance of unity and respect within football. Players will also warm up in Together Against Racism t-shirts to reinforce the message that discrimination has no place in our game.
At Newport County, we believe that football is a game for everyone, everywhere, and we are proud of the welcoming atmosphere that you create at Rodney Parade every matchday. However, last season there were still 141 incidents of racist abuse at EFL grounds and more than 5,000 incidents of online abuse, with more that likely went unrecorded.
To tackle the rise in online abuse and protect players, the EFL employs Athletia, a social media monitoring system that reviews public posts relating to players and officials across EFL clubs. The league also continues to work with social media platforms and the Football Policing Unit to ensure perpetrators are identified and sanctioned accordingly.
Racism will not be tolerated, and we stand together to remove it from our game. Those engaging in racist abuse face up to five years in prison and football stadium bans of 10 years. Last season, 17 fans were banned from their clubs and 24 faced police convictions for racist abuse at EFL grounds, with many more being referred for restorative justice or still under investigation.
Newport County strives to ensure it is truly reflective of the diverse communities it represents and stands side by side with players, managers, supporters, and the EFL to tackle racism in our game.
One Club. One Community. Together Against Racism.
If you witness racist or discriminatory abuse, you can report it directly to the club through Kick It Out, the club’s reporting mechanisms, or by alerting a steward.
Newport County will take swift and firm action against anyone identified in making racist or discriminatory behaviour, working with the relevant authorities to ensure perpetrators face club sanctions and police action.
To report abuse to us contact: safeguarding@newport-county.co.uk
You can also report incidents through the following links:
Kick It Out: https://www.kickitout.org/report
EFL: https://www.efl.com/inclusion/report-discrimination
