Established in 1993 to combat racism in football, Kick It Out expanded its remit in 1997 to address all forms of discrimination.
Anti-discrimination organization Kick It Out reports a record number of discrimination incidents during the 2024-25 season, marked by increases in sexism, transphobia, and faith-based abuse.
Across all tiers of English football, 1,398 incidents were reported, surpassing the 1,332 documented in the previous season’s data and representing the highest figure ever recorded by the organization.
Reports of sexism and misogyny surged by 67%, escalating from 115 incidents in the 2023-24 season to 192.
Faith-based abuse saw an increase from 117 to 132 reported incidents, while reports of transphobia doubled, rising from 22 to 44.
Incidents within girls’ football doubled to 31 reports, including two instances at the under-9s level. Overall, youth-related reports reached a record high of 186, up from 144.
While overall reports of racism decreased across all levels of football, racist incidents in the professional arena increased from 223 to 245.
Kick It Out’s end-of-season report also highlighted the following key statistics:
There were 621 reports of online abuse, marking a 5% increase from the previous year, with 268 incidents related to racism.
The organization received 18 reports of sexist chanting for the 2024-25 season, nearly matching the combined total from the preceding four seasons.
Grassroots football accounted for 325 reports, up from 303 in 2023-24.
Reports of homophobic abuse saw a slight decrease, falling from 162 to 139.
Abuse related to disability also experienced a significant rise, with reports increasing by 45% across all levels, from 51 to 76.
Kick It Out Chief Executive Samuel Okafor stated that “discrimination remains deeply embedded across the game” and emphasized that the rise in abuse within youth football “should be a wake-up call.”
Okafor acknowledged a “clear shift” in individuals “calling out sexist behavior” but urged greater action to combat online abuse.
“It’s clear that online platforms are still falling short. The volume of abuse remains high, and too often those responsible face no consequences,” Okafor stated.
“Fans are doing their part by speaking up. It’s now up to football authorities, tech companies and government to show they’re listening, and to act.”
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