International Safe Sport Day 2026 — Stand up. Speak out. Play your part.
There is free wellbeing and safeguarding support and resources for Hampshire and Isle of Wight sports clubs.
On 8 August 2026, Safe Sport International will mark Safe Sport Day, a global moment to show visible commitment to sport that is safe, inclusive and accountable for everyone.
This year's campaign, "Stand up. Speak out. Play your part." asks everyone in sport a simple question: what part can you play in making it safer? Clubs marking Safe Sport Day can sign the Safe Sport pledge, download campaign resources and pick practical steps for their own setting, all available at: safesportinternational.com/safe-sport-day.
Hampshire-based charity Energise Me's answer is both practical and free: local support that clubs across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can use straight away. Energise Me's Sport Welfare Officer, Sue Forber, is offering clubs across the region an updated Check and Challenge tool, free parent sessions and club culture reflection tools, all at no cost.
Sports clubs across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can now tap into a growing set of free safeguarding and welfare resources from Energise Me's Sport Welfare Officer.
Hosted by Energise Me, the Active Partnership for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and funded by Sport England, the Sport Welfare Officer supports clubs, Club Welfare Officers, and parents with safeguarding in everyday sport. Not just when something has gone wrong, but in the small, ordinary moments that decide whether members feel safe and supported enough to keep showing up.
"Safer sport is better sport," is how Sue sums it up. Here's what clubs can use right now.
An updated Check and Challenge tool from Energise Me
The recently refreshed Check and Challenge tool helps sports clubs and the venues they use — leisure centres, schools and community facilities — agree safeguarding responsibilities together, before, during and after activity takes place. Plain‑English guidance and ready‑made checklists cover everything from safely recruiting coaches to handling concerns and reviewing how sessions went, for children, young people and adults at risk alike. It's free to download from the Energise Me website, with a short 'tool only' version for clubs that just want the checklists. It can be found here: https://www.energiseme.org/support-resource/safeguarding/
NSPCC Sport 5 Questions
NSPCC Sport gives parents a simple set of 5 questions to check the right safeguards are in place — and to challenge, in a friendly way, where they're not. It turns safeguarding from something that can feel daunting into a few plain questions anyone can ask: Have the staff been checked? Does the club have a safeguarding policy? What happens if there's an accident? Who can you talk to? What training is there? It's a quick way for a committee to see what good looks like, and for parents to spot the signals that a club has it sorted. Questions for parents can be found here: https://sport.nspcc.org.uk/resource-library/publications/5-questions-parents-should-ask-sports-club/
In the autumn, Sue will also launch an animation about the NSPCC Sport 5 questions and what they might sound like coming from their children.
Free parent sessions for sports clubs
Any sports club in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can ask the SWO to run a free parent survey and session. The Sport Welfare Officer shares the NSPCC Sport National Parent Survey with the club's parents, analyses the anonymous responses, and delivers a one-hour in-club session, Championing Welfare & Safe Sport for All, built around what those parents actually said. There's no cost to the club.
Locks Heath Swim Squad and Alton & District Swim Club were among the first to take up the offer. Parents noticed the difference. "Since attending the session we have tried to listen a lot more, not commenting or passing judgement, just listening," said Nic Barber, a parent at Locks Heath Swim Squad. "We've found that our daughter talks more, about everything, and she seems happier and calmer at home and when swimming."
A companion parents project, Cheering on Your Child, launches in the autumn with four free video guides made with child-development specialist Lorraine Lee.
To arrange a parent session, please contact Sue Forber at [email protected].
Club culture tools
For clubs that want to look at the bigger picture, the SWO offers culture reflection tools and sessions — a straightforward way for a committee or coaching team to step back and consider the everyday culture of their club: how people speak to each other on the sidelines, how concerns are raised, and how welcome every member feels. It's practical, not a test, and the SWO works through it alongside the club. These tools have been piloted with clubs such as Portsmouth Walking Football Club and Fareham Running Club, who had excellent results.
Safeguarding in your pocket
Clubs and parents can also use Safeguarding in Your Pocket, a set of digital pocket guides now available in versions for clubs and for parents, free to download from the Energise Me website here: https://www.energiseme.org/support-resource/insight-hub/activity-provider-toolkit/safeguarding-guidance-and-resources/
And there's more
And Club Welfare Officers can join the SWO’s online communities — a closed Facebook group, a Spond community and a WhatsApp group — to share concerns and support each other.
"You are not on your own — we work with clubs like yours every week, and we're not here to add to your workload but to offer support on all things welfare, safeguarding and wellbeing," said Sue Forber, Sport Welfare Officer at Energise Me.
How clubs can get involved
Any NGB-affiliated sports club in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can access these resources at no cost. To arrange a parent session, book a culture reflection, or ask about any of the tools, please just contact Sue Forber at [email protected].
The Sport Welfare Officer service is funded by Sport England and the National Lottery, and delivered through the Active Partnerships network.