Our approach

To reach our target of eradicating any risk of child abuse in European football, we work with every stakeholder in the game, starting with our 55 member associations.

National association support

By the end of 2025, we expect each association to:

• implement their own child and youth protection policy as well as dedicated protocols for youth tournaments and major events;
• appoint a dedicated child and youth protection officer responsible for minimising risk across the game and responding to all forms of harm.

We have been working with our official partner Terre des hommes since 2018 to provide different types of support to associations, from tailored training for their child and youth protection officers to help in drafting policies and plans. We also run workshops for associations to share best practice and case studies from across European football’s ever-expanding child and youth protection community.

Minimum requirements

We have also taken steps to ensure that club participation in our competitions and approval of funding for associations is dependent on compliance with our child and youth protection requirements. For example, any association applying for HatTrick grants to support grassroots projects must meet the following conditions:

• prove a child and youth protection policy is in place and integrated into its activities and national football structures;
• provide the name of its child and youth protection officer.

UEFA’s club licensing regulations also oblige every football club that qualifies to play in our competitions to “establish and implement a policy to protect, safeguard and ensure the welfare of youth players and ensure they are in a safe environment when participating in activities organised by the licence applicant.”

Child & youth protection resources

To support our mission, we have developed a range of learning resources and practical guidelines that anyone working with children and young people across the football pyramid can use – from administrators to grassroots coaches.

All the materials are fully aligned with international standards and are needs-based, drawing on input from across Europe’s growing community of people dedicated to ensuring a safe space for the young to get involved in the game.

• Online courses, available in multiple European languages, set common standards and boost capacity.
• Event guidelines provide best practice guidance for organisers on how to safeguard children and young people.
• Our toolkit offers useful information on a range of child and youth protection topics, such as communication and policy development.
• Under Our support, you will find a library of case studies, strategies and policies created by sports and non-governmental organisations.

Partnership with Terre des hommes

Terre des hommes (Tdh), the leading Swiss organisation for children’s rights, works with UEFA to ensure all our member associations adopt a common approach to child and youth protection in football.

This involves preventive and responsive measures. The former mitigate the risk of harm through policies and procedures while the latter ensure that specific incidents are handled appropriately.

Created in 1960, Tdh protects children’s lives and rights, and improves their well-being through innovative programmes in health, protection and emergency relief. Each year, the organisation provides direct and indirect support to millions of children, their families and communities in around 30 countries.

As part of this mission, Tdh also supports sports organisations to improve their child safeguarding policies and practices.