BT Sport has announced the launch of diverse football team Hope United. The squad is made up of elite level athletes from the Home Nations who are uniting to take a stand against online hate.Amid the rise in cyberbullying and online discrimination within football, BT is putting together a number of projects in order to combat racism, homophobia and other forms of abuse. Their most recent campaign was 'Draw the Line', a new policy aligning with the social media boycott which took place from April 30th to May 3rd.Hope United has brought together both male and female footballers, who have experienced their own form of online abuse.

Who is involved in Hope United?

Along with some of the greats from the men's game, plenty of high profile women's footballers are involved too. Lucy Bronze and Demi Stokes of Manchester City have been named as players along with Manchester United's Lauren James, Wales international Helen Ward and Scottish para-footballer Rebecca Sellar.

Eniola Aluko joins Robbie Savage as Hope United's coaching team while Karen Carney partners Rio Ferdinand as the squad's managers.

Why has Hope United been formed?

Hope United was created ahead of the Euro 2020 tournament to make supporters aware of the magnitude of online hate right now, while trying to create a safe space and learning environment.

Information gathered by 'Draw the Line' revealed more than one in ten – over five million people – have received abuse online, according to YouGov research. This kind of hatred is present both in and away from sport and the time has come to say, enough is enough.

Man United striker and England international Lauren James recently suffered online racial abuse alongside her brother Reece, who plays for Chelsea. Their father Nigel, who has played a huge role in both of their development, recently aired his disgust over the abhorrent comments still being made.

Former Lioness Lianne Sanderson has also been extremely vocal about the discrimination she and others have suffered at the hands of online trolls. 

What to expect from Hope United

Those involved in the Hope United squad will feature in BT Tech Tips content and draw upon their own experiences in order to educate others on how to report online discrimination. The content will also focus on being our best selves online and protecting others, as well as supporting children who have spent more of their time on the internet lately.

BT's goal is to reach 25 million people through this campaign and educate them on safe practice as well as equipping them with the skills needed to be safe online and support others.