If you strip youth football back to its core, it’s about children playing the game in a safe, enjoyable environment.
Everything else - fixtures, payments, reports, admin - sits around that. But safeguarding has to come first. If we get that wrong, nothing else matters.
When we built Centre Circle, safeguarding wasn’t a feature we added later. It was the starting point.
Why Safeguarding Needs Structure
Grassroots football is run by volunteers. Managers, club secretaries and leagues give up their time because they care. But most communication still happens across open messaging apps, scattered emails and informal systems.
That creates risk.
When conversations happen in private chats or when contact details are shared loosely, visibility drops. And when visibility drops, safeguarding becomes harder.
Children need protection. Volunteers need protection too.
That means systems need to be designed properly.
How Safeguarding Works In Centre Circle
Every under 18 who needs to use Centre Circle must have a guardian sign up as well. Their accounts are linked.
That guardian has full visibility of everything involving their child. Messages. Fixtures. Payments. Availability.
If a young person signs up without a guardian account linked, their account is automatically blocked until a guardian completes the process.
There are no exceptions to that.
It creates shared visibility. And shared visibility creates protection.
Chat
Communication is one of the biggest safeguarding risks in grassroots football.
On Centre Circle, if an under 18 is sent a message, their guardian is automatically grouped into the conversation.
There are no unsupervised one-to-one chats involving children.
Messages also cannot be deleted. They can be archived, but the record remains permanently if it is ever required. That protects children. It also protects volunteers.
Everyone knows conversations are transparent and traceable.
Pre-Match Confirmation
The same principle applies before fixtures.
When a club contacts a referee prior to a match to confirm details, and that referee is under 18, their guardian is automatically grouped into the conversation.
Confirmation messages, logistics and updates all sit within the same safeguarding structure as normal chat.
Again, no grey areas.
Parents Can Act on Behalf of Their Child
Parents can complete admin tasks on their child’s behalf. That includes setting availability and managing membership payments.
Young players and young referees are not left to manage adult responsibilities alone. The guardian remains involved.
Our Responsibility
Centre Circle is about reducing admin and improving communication. But underneath that, it is about protecting children.
By getting safeguarding right, everything else becomes easier.
If you want to understand how Centre Circle keeps young people safe while supporting volunteers, explore the platform or get in touch.
