A PILOT project to combat racism at grassroots-level football by using a hotline telephone number to report incidents has been launched.

The Football Association (FA) has teamed up with the Met Police and Millwall FC to target racism at all levels of football but particularly the lower levels.

The scheme, which will see the distribution of 10,000 red cards and 3,000 posters with the hotline number on them, is being piloted in Southwark and Lewisham.

The Football For All project will be evaluated at the end of the season and if successful expanded to the rest of the country.

It is the first time racism in football has been tackled with one major strategy and the Metropolitan Police (Met) will investigate each call it gets on the hotline.

The project was launched at Millwall's New Den, in Zampa Road, South Bermondsey, last week.

It was attended by the FA director of football development Trevor Brooking, the FA's Football for All manager Lucy Faulkner, Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis and the Met's diversity directorate Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Maybanks.

The FA believes the project will help find where racism is occurring outside professional matches, which have seen large improvements in recent years as a result of projects such as Kick it Out and Show Racism the Red Card.

Mr Paphitis said: "Professional football and its fans are scrutinised by millions of people watching television but unfortunately at a grassroots level people do not have the same level of protection."

Although there is anecdotal evidence of racism at grassroots level, very little is reported according to the FA.

Miss Faulkner said: "Until now we have had no way of finding out what is happening at the lower levels.

"The mass chanting has gone but there are still pockets of racism."

To report racism in football, call the FA's Report Racism Freephone line on 0800 085 0508.