SAFEGUARDING​​​​​​​

Supporting a Safe Football Environment

Coaches and volunteers play a vital role in creating a safe, inclusive, and positive experience for everyone in football - especially tamariki and rangatahi. This page provides key safeguarding information, responsibilities, and practical guidance to help you recognise, respond to, and prevent harm while supporting the wellbeing of all participants.

NZF Police Vetting Process

All adults who work with children, young persons or vulnerable adults have a responsibility to safeguard and promote their welfare.

The NZF Police Vetting System is a centralised police vetting service developed and managed by NZF to support clubs and football service providers to undertake safety checks on anyone who may be required to work with children, young persons or vulnerable adults. As part of our commitment to safety, NZF will cover the vetting costs of providing this service to clubs and other football service providers.

Individuals being vetted will need to complete a secure online vetting form, view a short training video and then provide their identification documents to their club or football service provider Safeguarding Champion, who will verify that they have viewed the individual's ID within the NZF Police Vetting System.

Once verification of ID is complete, the Club Safeguarding Champion will upload the individual’s details to the NZ Police Vetting System, after which the NZF Police Vetting System will display “Submitted” alongside each individual’s name.​​​​​​​

Assessing Vetting Results

New Zealand Football’s aim is to ensure a safe environment for children, young persons and vulnerable adults. The existence of a conviction or other adverse information will not necessarily mean that the individual should not be involved in football.

Results will be assessed in line with Schedule 2 of the Children's Act 2014 and the NZF Safeguarding Policy.

If NZF considers that the results would not impact upon the individual’s role, then the individual’s status will be updated within the system to “Confirmed”. 

​If NZF considers that the individual should not be allowed to continue in their role, the NZF Safeguarding Manager will contact the individual and ask them to step down. The Federation CEO (or nominee)  will also be advised that the person has been asked to step down, although they would not be provided with details of the offence. 

Police Vetting Review and Appeals

If an individual believes their vetting result is factually incorrect, they need to follow the process outlined by NZ Police.here.

If an individual does not agree with a decision that has been made by NZF as to their suitability to be employed/volunteer within football, they can appeal to the NZF Safeguarding Manager within 7 days, providing reasons and details as to why they should be allowed to continue in their role and providing any relevant documentation.

An Appeals Panel will consider the appeal with the safety of children, young persons and vulnerable adults being the paramount consideration. If the appeal is successful, the individual will be able to return to their role. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the individual will be contacted by the NZF Safeguarding Manager and asked to stand down indefinitely. 

For more information about appeals refer to the NZF Safeguarding Policy.

Further Information and Resources