English Premier League to adopt mandatory sexual consent training for all players and staff

The English Premier League is set to launch a mandatory sexual consent training course that all players and staff across the 20 clubs will have to attend. 

It comes after successful lobbying from various groups following a rise of accusations against Premier League players, according to The Telegraph.

The league consulted and discussed the new rules with three organisations - End Violence for Women, the Three Hijabis, and Level Up. 

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The Premier League already had workshops about consent and sexual harassment, however, they were only offered to academy and first-team players from under-14s to under-23s.

End Violence Against Women Coalition director Andre Simon said in a statement, via BBC: "Today's announcement is a long overdue and important first step in the right direction.

"Gender-based violence is a pervasive and systemic issue that must be addressed across the football industry as a whole, with urgent and coordinated action."

The three organisations had penned an open letter earlier in the year asking for the FA and Premier League to address the series of accusations and ‘culture of gender-based violence’. 

The letter stated: "It is clear that our beautiful game has an ugly underside when it comes to violence against women.

It added: "It's time for the FA and Premier League to confront a culture of gender-based violence."

The groups said the FA and Premier League had to 'show which side they are on when it comes to violence against women and girls' and explained how changing attitudes within football could have a wider impact on society.

"Football players and the teams they play for have a unique position in shaping the attitudes of boys and men," the letter continued.

"Their behaviour both on and off the pitch is influential, and transforming the culture in football will have a seismic impact on wider society."

It looks like the calls of the organisations have now rightfully been answered.

In addition to the mandatory training, the coalition has asked for clubs to ‘adopt clear sexual misconduct policies and protocols’ in order to tackle issues surrounding unacceptable behaviour. 

Co-director of Level Up, Seyi Falodun-Liburd said: "This is a defining moment for football. The Premier League is finally beginning to recognise the enormous influence that this sport has on our culture and our individual behaviours."