Today, South Yorkshire Echo is launching its campaign ‘Blow the Whistle’ on domestic violence (#BlowTheWhistle) to gather funds for YWCA Yorkshire and to raise awareness of domestic abuse in South Yorkshire in the run-up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The Echo will work closely with local charities and organisations across South Yorkshire to help raise awareness and funds for people affected by domestic abuse. You can donate and share the fundraiser here.

South Yorkshire Echo pledge to:

  • Push the already available services in South Yorkshire for domestic abuse victims through advertising in the community and within the championship and league football teams. We’ll raise awareness of Clare’s Law, Dial 55 and WebBot.
  • Set up fundraising projects for the YWCA Yorkshire with a goal of £1000. The fundraisers will help provide new facilities at Peile House to support the YWCA’s existing well-being and shelter services for young women aged 16-25. Many of these women and their children are forced onto the streets as a direct result of domestic abuse. Find our fundraising project here.
  • Collect information and generate statistics to show the correlation between domestic violence and football tournaments.
  • To share the stories and to give a voice to the victims of domestic abuse and to those who work to support them and their recovery.

The University of Sheffield Student’s Union Officer Team are in support of the campaign.

They said: “We are proud to support the ‘Blow the Whistle’ campaign to raise awareness about the links between domestic abuse and football. 

A game of football should never lead to any abuse and we want to help highlight the amazing charities and initiatives that are in place to help those affected by domestic abuse.”

Iwan James, Wellbeing and Sports Officer, said: “The issues associated with domestic abuse and football are clear to see, and more work does need to be done in highlighting said issues.”

The South Yorkshire Echo have also sought support from the University of Sheffield Feminist Society.

Carlotta, secretary for the Feminism Society, said: “The University of Sheffield Feminist Society fully support the #BlowTheWhistle campaign. 

“Domestic abuse is a huge issue and the rise in cases during the last UEFA European Championship drew attention to the effects of events like the World Cup on domestic violence rates. 

“This is a problem we need to keep paying attention to and we need to find a way to solve it. This campaign is making a start on this and supporting the survivors of domestic violence in Sheffield, and we will support it in any way we can.”

The Blow the Whistle Campaign is here to raise awareness and help anyone who has been affected by domestic violence.

Jean Arliss, a survivor of domestic violence from Sheffield, said: “Me, my husband and my family are all football supporters, but I don’t agree with people using football games as somewhere to go and use foul language and fight. 

“It’s there for entertainment and for families to go too.”

 Jean told the Echo, a campaign like Blow the Whistle “would have really helped” her at the time of her abuse. 

The Blow the Whistle campaign has the full support of the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association). You can donate money to our fundraiser, to create a new well-being centre at Peile House, for the YWCA here.

No score-line justifies abuse. You can keep up to date with the Blow the Whistle campaign by following the progress on Instagram @blowthewhistle_sy.