Equal Opportunities & Protection Against Harassment Policy
At West Didsbury & Chorlton FC we are committed to ensuring that every person who represents any of the Club's teams and/or attends any of the Club's matches can do so without fear of being discriminated against on the grounds of either a protected characteristic covered by the Equality Act 2010, or on the grounds of a characteristic protected by relevant FA regulations.
For the purpose of this policy, those characteristics are ethnic origin, race, nationality, colour, faith, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation or disability ('Protected Characteristics').
West take a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and anybody who does not comply with this policy is not welcome at West.
We will not stand for any discriminatory language, chanting, abuse or behaviour of any kind, either on or off the pitch.
Anybody who attends West matches in any capacity agrees that they will not unlawfully discriminate against, harass or victimise any other person or group of people - including (but not limited to) players, coaches, volunteers or supporters of either West or any of West's opponents.
In this context:
- 'discriminate' means to treat someone unfavourably / less favourably than another person because of a Protected Characteristic (as defined above);
- 'harass' means to commit any unwanted conduct (with reference to a Protected Characteristic), which has the purpose or effect of violating someone's dignity and/or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them; and
- 'victimise' means to retaliate against someone who has complained or has supported someone else's complaint about any form of discrimination or harassment.
Enforcing this Policy & Complaints
The Club will continue to promote this policy and will regularly remind attendees at West matches that discrimination will not be tolerated. We will also ensure that matchday stewards have a clear understanding of what to do in the event that a complaint is made to them about discriminatory conduct at our stadium.
If you witness any discrimination, harassment, or victimisation whilst attending a match at West, you are strongly encouraged to contact your nearest steward, high-vis wearing club official and/or follow any other reporting mechanism communicated by the Club. That is irrespective of whether or not you were the subject of that treatment.
If you are not able or not comfortable doing this on a matchday, or alternatively if you witness any behaviour from a representative of the club on a non-matchday that may amount to a breach of this policy, please alert the Club without delay by emailing enquiries@wdcfc.co.uk. To ensure that any complaints can be investigated effectively, we require them to be made within three months of the incident taking place unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Complaints will be treated in strictest confidence where possible, although absolute confidence cannot be guaranteed in the event that the complaint needs to be investigated further. Complaints may be investigated by the club and/or the Police or any other appropriate body, but if that is the case then the complainant will be informed in advance and can decide to withdraw their complaint if they do not wish for it to be escalated.
Any suspected breaches of this policy by an attendee will lead to action being taken in line with the Club's Supporter Behaviour Policy, a copy of which can be found HERE.
Any suspected breaches of this policy by a West player, coach, manager or club official will be dealt with in line with the Club's internal procedures and, where appropriate, the outcome of any procedure will be communicated publicly. Any club official who is subject to any such procedure will have no involvement in the decision-making process.
Reasonable Adjustments
Any disabled person who plans to attend a West match, either at home or away, is encouraged to contact West at ollie@wdcfc.co.uk and we will explore ways in which we can make your visit to West easier for you.
Any supporters, volunteers or players who are subject to any internal procedures will have the opportunity to request adjustments to try and reduce any disadvantages that they are placed at as a consequence of any disability.
Recruitment
It is extremely important to all of us at West that our playing, coaching and managerial teams appreciate and share the values of this policy.
When recruiting any such individual to join West, the Club will undertake necessary due diligence to reduce the risk of West recruiting a player/manager/coach who does not respect the Club's anti-discrimination stance.
Such due diligence will include investigating and reviewing any previous FA disciplinary sanctions issued against the individual (with particular reference to, but not limited to, any 'aggravated' breaches pursuant to Rule E3.2 of the FA's Disciplinary Regulations), the individual's public-facing social media accounts, and any other conduct in the public domain that would indicate non-compliance with this policy.
Breaches of this Policy
West's board of directors have overall responsibility for the effective operation of this policy, for ensuring that they have received appropriate training to handle and decide any complaints that arise under this policy, and for ensuring West's general compliance with equality legislation.
This policy will be reviewed before every new football season as well as upon receipt of any complaints that are made under this policy.