Playing sport and taking part in a hobby at a sports club or organisation is a fundamental part of growing up. Most children who enjoy extracurricular activities, such as football or netball, enjoy the experience and find it rewarding. Sadly, sports clubs can also be an environment where child abusers prey on the young people who are meant to be in their care.

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In most of the cases where this has happened, perpetrators have been in a position of trust or responsibility, using their relationship to manipulate children and sometimes their parents. For sports clubs, this could be a coach or any other staff member involved with matches and training. Opportunities to be alone with children can also arise from overnight stays during tournaments or during travel to and from matches.

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Unfortunately, the sad reality is that child abuse in sports clubs can happen anywhere and to any youngster – regardless of their gender, race, age or sporting ability.

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In recent years, it’s been widely reported that well-known national football clubs, in both the amateur and professional game, have been the subject of allegations of historical child abuse dating back to the late 60s and 70s. During this time, and the decades leading up to the major safeguarding reforms of the late 1990s, it was possible for almost anyone to gain unrestricted access to children and young people in a sports environment. Organisations like the FA have improved their policies and processes with regards to background checks since, but it is acknowledged that major failures saw them fail in their duty of care.

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Worryingly, these failures were not exclusive to football. Other sports have also been caught up in this historic abuse scandal – including athletics, tennis, swimming and many other activities.