Record number of discrimination reports during last football season, says charity

The number of discriminatory incidents recorded during the latest football season is once again up on the previous year, showcasing sustained levels of discrimination across the game.

The data – sourced by campaign group Kick It Out – was drawn from reports across the professional game, grassroots and social media during the 2024/25 football season and showed there were 1,398 reports.

Within the figures, there had been a sharp rise in sexism, transphobia and faith-based abuse, whilst racism remained the most reported form of discriminatory incidents.

Kick It Out stated Sexism and misogyny rose by 67 per cent on the previous season, with an increase of 115 to 192. Much of the discrimination transpired on social media with reports of sexist content online rising by 72 per cent, whilst there were also 18 reports of sexist chanting during matches – which nearly matches the total from the previous four seasons combined.

The increase in sexist incidents follows the launch of Kick It Out’s Kick Sexism Out campaign this season, which seeks to highlight and tackle the abuse women and girls face across football. 

Ableist abuse also saw a significant increase, with reports up by 45 per cent across all levels of the sport.

However, homophobic abuse fell slightly during the season with a decrease from 162 to 139. That being said though, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments remain rife as transphobic abuse is rising and reported incidents doubled this season.

Overall, there were 452 reports from the professional game, up by 12 from 440 last season, and 325 reports in grassroots football, an increase from 303 in 2023/24.

Samuel Okafor, Kick It Out CEO, said: “These figures show that discrimination remains deeply embedded across the game, but the rise in abuse in youth football should be a wake-up call. No one should be facing hostility simply for taking part.

“What we’re seeing now is that fans aren’t just reporting abuse, they’re demanding action. There’s been a clear shift this season in how people are calling out sexist behaviour, both online and in stadiums, and asking football to treat it as seriously as any other form of hate.”

“At the same time, it’s clear that online platforms are still falling short. The volume of abuse remains high, and too often, those responsible face no consequences.

“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.”

Despite the increasing figures, football fans themselves think discrimination is on the way out with a 2023 survey finding that three-quarters of fans think fellow supporters are more concerned about discrimination than they were 30 years ago.

Kick It Out published The Impact Report – a survey of nearly 3,000 football fans on their experiences of, and opinions on, discrimination, diversity and inclusion – to mark its 30th anniversary in August of that year.

The report showed a majority of fans felt there is less discrimination in football than when Kick It Out was launched in 1993, and 73 per cent of fans believed football has become more inclusive sport.

However, 85 per cent of those surveyed still believed more needs to be done to combat discrimination towards fans at stadiums and 87 per cent said more needs to be done to tackle abuse towards players at stadiums. 

The world of men’s professional football has long been playing catch-up when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation and visibility, with very few out gay professional footballers.

At the moment, only six are known of, and one of them – Josh Cavallo – recently announced he is transferring to the UK. In contrast, women’s professional football has proven time and time again to be well ahead of the men’s game when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation.