How The Football Association Transformed Grassroots Football Discipline Reporting with AI 

The Football Association (FA) oversees football in England and plays a vital role in grassroots football—the amateur foundation of the sport. For the thousands of players, coaches, and volunteers involved, The FA strives to promote positive behavior on and off the field.  However, tackling issues like discriminatory abuse and physical misconduct requires more than commitment—it demands smart solutions.  

To effectively address these challenges, The FA turned to AI to analyze their over 3,300 survey responses and improve both reporting processes and on-field behavior.  

Why The Football Association Chose Caplena  

Challenges in Managing Grassroots Discipline 

In the past, The FA struggled with several obstacles in processing detailed feedback on serious discipline cases, including discriminatory abuse and physical misconduct. The most pressing challenges included: 

• Time-Intensive Analysis: Reviewing over 3,300 responses manually would require considerable time and resources.  

• Complex Themes: Feedback spanned various issues, requiring a multi-layered analysis.  

• Audience Segmentation: The FA aimed to understand responses across different segments - like roles and experience levels - to capture different perspectives.  

Streamlining Analysis with Caplena’s AI 

To overcome these challenges, The FA adopted Caplena’s AI-powered platform. With Caplena, they were able to: 

• Uncover Key Themes Quickly: Patterns and insights in the feedback were identified faster, enabling more efficient decision-making. 

• Segment Responses Effectively: By analyzing feedback by roles and experiences, The FA gained a clear understanding of diverse perspectives. 

• Reduce Processing Time: Tasks that previously took days of manual effort were completed in hours, freeing up resources to focus on action   

How Caplena Transformed The FA’s Discipline Reporting  

Focused Feedback Analysis 

The FA zeroed in on two critical questions to gain actionable insights: 

1. Reporting Behavior: 

Are you more or less likely to report abuse now compared to 12 months ago? Why?”  (3,331 responses)

2. Advice for Improvement: 

“What further advice do you have for The FA and Kick It Out?”  (1,458 responses, Kick it Out is an English organization that works to combat discrimination and promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in football)

Using Caplena, The FA was able to process and analyze this data effectively, revealing key trends and clear next steps for improvement.  

Key Results and Transformations 

Caplena’s AI-driven analysis enabled The FA to turn complex feedback into actionable changes that made a real impact: 

• By integrating the findings from the Caplena analysis with survey results, The FA gained a more detailed picture compared to what they had in the past, enabling them to identify and prioritize key issues.

• Audience-specific understandings enabled tailored strategies that resonated with different groups, from players to coaches. 

• Time saved on analysis meant more resources could be allocated to implementing meaningful improvements. 

Case Example: Reporting Behavior Insights 

Caplena’s analysis revealed two critical findings about how participants view The FA’s reporting process: 

1. Increased Willingness to Report: Many respondents shared that The FA’s recent initiatives made them feel more confident in reporting incidents of abuse or misconduct. 

2. Barriers to Reporting: Some participants pointed out issues in the current reporting process which guided The FA in simplifying the system and providing better resources to ensure individuals feel supported when reporting. 

Actionable Improvements 

Based on these insights, The FA focused on: 

• Simplifying reporting systems to make them more accessible. 

• Increasing awareness through community education campaigns about the importance of reporting. 

• Enhancing support for individuals who report, ensuring they feel secure and validated. 

Looking Ahead: Building a Stronger Grassroots Future 

Caplena’s insights now help inform The FA’s strategy to improve discipline reporting in grassroots football. The FA aims to refine reporting systems to be more inclusive and use AI to track changes and gather ongoing feedback on behavior and discipline.

Conclusion 

Caplena has helped inform how The FA tackles discipline in grassroots football. By turning complex feedback into valuable insights, The FA has strengthened its commitment to fostering integrity, inclusivity, and positive behavior across the sport. This partnership demonstrates the potential of technology to foster meaningful change at the grassroots level—ensuring a better game for everyone.