Government backs British Esports and English Football League esports workshops to help disadvantaged young people build digital skills

British Esports

4 min read | 22 Dec 2025

British Esports secures funding to support EFL with ‘Safe to Play’ campaign running across 10 football club communities

British Esports, the national esports federation for the United Kingdom, has secured funding to kick off a pilot campaign with the English Football League (EFL) using esports to support young people.

The new ‘Safe to Play’ campaign – set to run across 10 Football Club communities – will use esports to help 400 young people build digital skills, confidence and stay safe online. 

It will empower trained facilitators to deliver guidance informed by the British Esports Federation’s ‘Duty to Care in Esports’ framework in order to create opportunities for disadvantaged youth.

The Safe to Play project will adapt esports as a vehicle for digital inclusion in their existing Football Club charities youth programmes. Each club will deliver a 6–8 week programme of weekly workshops and esports play sessions, combining practical digital learning for young people, within a fun, safe and trusted environment.

The programme has been approved for funding by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) under the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. 

EFL in the Community will oversee national coordination, governance, and monitoring of the campaign, while Sheffield United’s Community Foundation is acting as the accountable body. Sheffield Hallam University will also provide external advisory input.

British Esports is a national partner for the project, with funds going towards delivering specialist training, content development and accreditation as part of the Play it Safe model. British Esports will deliver e-learning and one-day in-person training for 60 facilitators from 10 Football Club charities. Training will cover safeguarding, wellbeing, digital confidence, online safety and positive esports delivery.

The hope is for a successful pilot to lead to a national rollout across the 72-club EFL network.

Debbie Cook, Director of Community at the English Football League (EFL), said: “The Safe to Play campaign is an exciting and innovative way to support young people in our EFL Club communities. Using esports as a vehicle for digital inclusion, online safety, and wellbeing, we’re equipping disadvantaged young people with essential skills for the modern world.”

Chester King, British Esports President, added: “We’re incredibly grateful to receive the Government’s support for this new Safe to Play campaign with the EFL. This backing will allow us to work alongside Sheffield United’s Community Foundation and other partners to deliver vital digital skills and online safety training to young people through esports.”

The news comes as the UK Government unveils plans to tackle youth isolation by investing £500m as part of a new National Youth Strategy designed to rebuild youth services.

‘Youth Matters’ has been co-produced with more than 14,000 young people across England through a ‘State of the Nation’ survey in a bid to tackle isolation and build real life connections.

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