Chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber hopes this weekend's football-wide boycott can put more pressure on social media companies to take decisive action against online abuse.
Clubs across the UK and in other sports will shut down their channels from 3pm on Friday until 11.59pm on Monday to protest against online abuse and raise awareness of an issue which he says is a 'scourge' in the game.
“As a football club we stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow clubs and other footballing organisations in this social media boycott,” he said. “For far too long now players have been abused online, with members of our own squad suffering discriminatory messages that have appalled us all.
“We have been calling for social media companies to take the necessary action, including the filtering and blocking of offensive posts, together with a far better verification process which we hope will, in turn, lead to the prosecution of the all-too-often anonymous perpetrators of these cowardly acts.
“While small steps have been made, too little has been done, and so our requests for stronger and faster action are reiterated in this boycott.
“Football alone cannot stem the relentless flow of discriminatory messages, but our stance can only highlight the scourge of online abuse and the steps needed to eradicate the problem.”
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Barber’s unequivocal message is shared by Graham Potter and Hope Powell, who have called on social media companies to do more.
“It is a bold move from football, and we should be proud of,” Potter said. “Once you take that first step it’s easier for others to join in and be part of. It’s a great step but that’s what it is at this stage. It’s something we can be proud of as a football family, but there’s a lot more to do.
“We need to try and make sure that in this day and age with the billions that they have, that there is a way to stop this abuse on the platforms. Then we have to try to create a world where any forms of abuse aren’t part of society, although that might be a bit more difficult.”
Powell added, “It's a big issue in society and clearly a cause everyone in football and other sports feel very strongly about. Online abuse is a terrible thing which no one should have to experience and I hope this boycott will help put pressure on social media companies to do a lot more to stop it happening.”