Personal relationships between players and coaches in women's football are inappropriate because they create a power imbalance and can lead to abuse of players.
According to several sources, everyone in women's football knows of at least one of the clubs in the top two tiers of England.
They should be allowed to happen because they are so common.
It was a taboo subject which contributed to Mark Sampson being sacked as England manager and still affects the Women's Super League club board members, coaches and players.
The recent scandal in America's NWSL, where English coach Paul Riley was sacked from his job at North Carolina Courage following allegations of sexual misconduct with two players, has brought it back to the forefront.
One of those players, who was coached by Riley at Portland Thorns, said that seven of the eight male coaches she worked with had personal relationships with players.
There is a power imbalance that makes any sexual or romantic relationships inappropriate.
Similar questions were raised after the players in his role at Bristol Academy were involved in inappropriate and unacceptable behavior.
If no minor is involved, player-coach relationships are allowed to happen.
It leads to lots of grey areas, not helped by a perceived culture of silence in the game because so many have had first- or second-hand experience of such personal relationships.
There are calls from players, coaches and unions for further education on a sensitive issue.
"You can't help who you fall in love with" was a phrase used on several occasions in the course of the research.
Football, like many other sports, offers a great opportunity for amateur players to socialize and the WSL did not turn professional until 2011. Same-sex player relationships are common in the game.
Sue Campbell, the FA director of women's football, declined to be interviewed for this article, but she did say that player-coach personal relationships are a concern for many in the game.
A desire to not expose friends or coaches is reflected in anonymity. There are players and coaches who still play and work at the top of the English game who have had these types of relationships.
Several sources have questioned whether they are still appropriate, and claim that the coaches involved can show an "unconscious bias" when it comes to team selection.
It was difficult to control player-coach relationships in women's football, especially when there was a lot of social interaction outside of the team environment.
There are signs that attitudes towards player welfare are changing.
Every club must have a safeguarding officer in place if they want to get a WSL licence.
One board member said they would consider appointing anyone with an existing relationship with a player because of the potential for disruption.
A number of managers encouraged staff not to pursue romantic relationships. Others say it should be seen as a no-go area.
Alex Culvin is a former player and has written a PhD on player welfare in women's football.
She said protection for players in England and other countries could be improved.
She said that playing professional sport from a young age can make you impressionable.
A lot of it is about control and abuse of players.
It doesn't necessarily mean that a player-coach relationship has to be sexual or physical. It can be emotional to say "I'm not comfortable with that" in a lot of cases.
I am not in a position to tell anyone who they can and cannot fall in love with. What should be in place is clear guidelines about what constitutes transgression and what constitutes overstepping the mark. It should be led by a player.
There is a lack of clarity on what constitutes "OK" and that will vary from club to club, from culture to culture, player to player and even association to association. If we can get some commonality across the board, and better understanding that is fundamentally built on education, players will have a better recognition of what is acceptable.
In general, coach and adult player relationships are not advised because of the potential for power imbalance and the impact on team culture and dynamics, according to the FA.
These are usually matters for clubs to manage via codes of conduct and expected standards of behavior.
Culvin calls for clearer guidelines and more education because there are still microaggressions. Culvin says this is on the agenda of FifPro.
More allegations of sexual harassment in women's football emerged after the NWSL scandal.
In gymnastics and swimming, women have come forward to talk about abuse from male coaches.
A similar #metoo moment has not happened in English football.
Culvin is not surprised if players choose to remain silent about past experiences, whether that is abuse or the consequences of a player-coach personal relationship.
She said that they have to understand the players' livelihoods on the line. We can't expect players to risk their careers and talk about microaggressions if the procedures and frameworks are not in place.
According to other sources, people are unwilling to take a hard line on this issue in order to protect themselves.
One source said that those in positions of power are scared to implement rules because of their skeletons. After the recent allegations in the US, there would be plenty of people looking over their shoulders.
The FA encouraged any player who has experienced abuse to come forward and report it, but acknowledged how difficult this can be.
The governing body did not give a number for how often its procedures were used, only to say there was a regular flow of referrals which remain confidential.
The FA takes all matters seriously and fully investigates all concerns.
The codes of conduct should be communicated to the players. It's up to the clubs to set the terms and make sure they're being met.
According to several sources, there is a lack of consistency in the top two tiers of English women's football, related to whether a club is closely linked to its men's team.
The FA insisted it is working to help coaches better understand boundaries, including where the line is drawn on banter, and has ensured coaches are required to undertake safeguarding training every two years, a change from every three years previously.
It will be reviewing codes of conduct ahead of the 2022-23 season as it does every season, and has worked closely with the PFA to ensure players in the WSL and Championship were aware of the routes.
There is always more work to be done to support a player-centred culture in sport and football, and we will continue to drive this messaging at every level of the game.
Culvin said there were still questions about whether the lessons from the Sampson firing have been learned, and a need for the FA and other federations to be more transparent with their whistleblowing procedures and support for players.
The stories are still evolving. She said that a safe environment is paramount.
Whether people learned from the situation with Mark is questionable.
It does not mean just developing a policy and presenting it. It is difficult to implement it as part of a culture shift. Is there a system where players feel safe to come out and talk about issues that might have arisen?
What the NWSL did was progressive. The league released their policy after the players said they needed measures in place for a safe and healthy work environment.
The FA should publish documents similar to that of the NWSL to show that they are taking this seriously. Maybe they already exist? I have not seen that published in the same way as the NWSL did.
There is a long way to go to protect the interests of players across the globe.
Additional reporting by the person.
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