Shrewsbury Town FC's senior safeguarding manager John Rhodes has been appointed as a safeguarding ambassador for the Football Safety App.
The appointment follows the club's adoption of the incident-reporting platform earlier this year. The app gives supporters, players and officials a way to report physical, verbal and online abuse connected with football.
Shrewsbury Town safeguarding role
Rhodes, who is also Shrewsbury Town's equality, diversity and inclusion lead, said: "There is no place for abuse in football.
"We are passionate about stamping out unacceptable behaviour around the game, whether that is in the stands, on the pitch or on the way to the ground. The Football Safety App supports that commitment by giving people a safe and anonymous way to report abuse.
"Introducing the app has been a valuable addition to our safeguarding work, so becoming an ambassador was the natural next step."
Rhodes has previously worked in education, academy scouting and football operations before taking up his safeguarding role at Shrewsbury Town.
Reporting abuse in football
He said the technology could give people more confidence to report incidents quickly and anonymously, including abuse directed at female officials.
Rhodes added: "We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse and discrimination and take swift action whenever incidents occur.
"Some attitudes still exist, particularly towards female officials. Giving supporters, players and officials the ability to report abuse anonymously adds another important layer of protection."
Shrewsbury Town chief executive Liam Dooley said: "The Football Safety App complements the club's support for both the Unite For Access and Her Game Too campaigns. John's appointment as an ambassador reinforces our commitment to eliminating abuse from football."
How reports are handled
Reports submitted through the app are assessed by trained analysts before credible cases are escalated to clubs, online platforms or the police where appropriate.
Former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, a director of the Football Safety App, said Rhodes' safeguarding experience would make him an asset to the organisation.