Growing reports of child sex abuse in football stretching back decades could spread to other sports, police have warned.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, said a “significant” number of victims are likely to come forward following claims of assaults by coaches.

"I suspect that in the next few days and weeks that we will see a significant increase in the numbers that are currently reporting allegations of abuse to us,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

"We, as a country, are now having to deal with the legacy of non-recent sexual abuse and the thousands of allegations that we are now seeing across the country.

"We are receiving reports of abuse in all sorts of different institutions. I am not in the least bit surprised that we are now seeing the lid lifted on exploitation within the world of football and I suspect there will be other sporting governing bodies - again in the next few days and weeks - who will come forward and who will identify the fact that they have similar problems.”

Former Manchester City youth player Jason Dunford claimed the scandal was bigger than the Jimmy Savile revelations as reports continued to grow on Friday.

Four police forces are now investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse in football, with a national inquiry “watching events closely” as England captain Wayne Rooney urged anyone who may have been assaulted to seek help.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Ex-England and Manchester City players David White and Paul Stewart and former Crewe player Steve Walters have also spoken out about being sexually abused by football coaches as children.

Mr Bailey said he hoped people would have the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that the response by police officers and society could be “very different” than in previous decades.

The Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Police and Cheshire police are investigating allegations of abuse in the football community, while Northumbria Police is handling an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle United player that he was abused in the club's youth system.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by prominent figures, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has been in touch with all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity.

The NSPCC has set up a dedicated helpline - on 0800 023 2642 - for football-related cases. </s> Cheshire police's investigation into alleged historical sexual abuse in football has now been joined by three other forces around the UK.

And Crewe Alexandra have said they will launch an independent review of the way it dealt with historical child abuse allegations.

Andy Woodward, who played for Crewe, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe United, revealed last week that he suffered multiple attacks at the hands of scout and coach Barry Bennell while a youngster at Crewe Alexandra.

Now London's Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Police and Northumbria Police have all confirmed they are investigating allegations.

And Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney urged anyone who may have suffered abuse to come forward.

He tweeted: "My colleagues have been very brave. If you’ve experienced sexual abuse in football, please call NSPCC ’s new helpline on 0800 023 2642"

The Metropolitan Police, Britain's biggest force, said it "has received information relating to non-recent sexual abuse in football clubs in London". Scotland Yard did not name any of the clubs involved.

Hampshire Police said its detectives are investigating non-recent child abuse "within the football community".

Northumbria Police said it was investigating an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle United player that he was abused in the club's youth system.

And Cheshire Police said it had received "a growing number of disclosures" and that allegations have been "made against more than one individual".

The national inquiry into child sexual abuse said it was "watching events closely" and opened the door to examining allegations in the growing scandal.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

The Guardian said an unnamed former Newcastle United player had contacted police to make allegations against George Ormond, a coach in the North East who was jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults across a 24-year period.

Newcastle United FC said they would co-operate with authorities "if or when the club receives further information".

Some of the claims have come from the NSPCC which this week set up a dedicated hotline - on 0800 023 2642 - for football-related cases.

The Premier League said it is "very concerned" by allegations and offered its sympathy and support to those who have come forward."

Adding to the concerns about the depth and scale of the scandal are reports in the Daily Telegraph that leading football clubs made secret payments to buy the silence of young players sexually abused by coaches.

The paper states that, according to an unnamed source, a number of clubs, including at least one Premier League team, had paid compensation to footballers but only after victims had signed confidentiality agreements so strict that along with their families and lawyers they are banned from saying publicly if the cases even existed.

Former Manchester City youth team player Jason Dunford claimed the scandal is bigger than the one involving former broadcaster Jimmy Savile.

Mr Dunford, who said he had been staying at a Butlins holiday camp after winning a football competition when he alleges Bennell attempted to touch him in bed, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme: "I believe there was a conspiracy and paedophile ring.

"I think Savile looks like a choirboy compared to this fella.

"There were people at those clubs who had a duty to look after boys coming through their system."

Chris Unsworth, 44, a former Crewe youngster who has also made allegations against Bennell, claimed it was "swept under the carpet".

Ex-England and Manchester City players David White and Paul Stewart and former Crewe Alexandra player Steve Walters have also spoken out about being sexually abused by football coaches as children.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and several junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, sexually abused young boys across three decades from the 1970s onwards.

He was given a four-year sentence for raping a British boy on a football tour of Florida in 1994 and then a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 when he pleaded guilty to abusing a boy at a football camp in Macclesfield in 1980.

Crewe's director of football, Dario Gradi said the club would be carrying out an internal investigation. Manchester City said it was also reviewing Bennell's links with the club.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has been in touch with all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity. </s> Detectives in Greater Manchester have launched an investigation into allegations of historic sexual abuse in youth football.

GMP revealed it had joined the Metropolitan, Cheshire, Hampshire and Northumbria police as well as the Football Association in investigating allegations of historic abuse.

The force said it has received ‘a number of complaints’ in recent days from former youth players who say they were assaulted by adults within the game.

The scandal was sparked when former footballer Andy Woodward revealed he was abused by former coach Barry Bennell while a youth player at Crewe Alexandra.

Ex-Manchester City players Paul Stewart and David White are also among those who have revealed they also suffered abuse as part of the scandal, which involves fresh allegations against Bennell as well as others who were adults within the sport.

Bennell, now in his 60s, has three convictions for child abuse but is currently out of prison on parole. He was found unconscious and taken to hospital on Friday night in what police called a “fear of welfare” incident.

Launching a new investigation into claims of widespread abuse, GMP urged more victims to come forward and said complaints would be treated seriously, no matter when the the alleged incidents took place.

A GMP spokeswoman said the force was unable to say how many complaints it had received at this time, or which football clubs they related to.

Assistant chief constable Debbie Ford said in a statement: “Following recent media coverage, Greater Manchester Police has received a number of calls from people reporting historic sexual abuse whilst they were in the youth football system.

“We have now launched an investigation and our specially trained officers are supporting those who have come forward so far.

“We are co-ordinating our investigation with forces nationally and with Operation Hydrant, the national co-ordination hub for historic child abuse investigations concerning persons of public prominence.

“I would encourage anyone who was a victim of sexual or physical abuse to come forward and speak to us as soon as possible.

“I completely understand that for many people, making disclosures about such traumatic events can be difficult but we will offer advice and support throughout.

“For those who do want to come forward please call police on 101. Your complaints will be treated seriously no matter when the incident took place.”

The Metropolitan Police, Britain’s biggest force, said it “has received information relating to non-recent sexual abuse in football clubs in London”. The clubs involved were not named.

Hampshire Police said its detectives are investigating non-recent child abuse “within the football community”.

Northumbria Police said an allegation made by an unnamed former Newcastle United player was being investigated.

And Cheshire Police said it had received “a growing number of disclosures” and that allegations have been “made against more than one individual”. </s> A large number of alleged victims of child sex abuse in football have yet to break their silence, a senior police chief has predicted, and he believes the scandal could also engulf other British sports.

Simon Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk Constabulary and the National Police Chiefs Council’s lead for child protection, said yesterday that a “significant” number of victims were likely to emerge, and warned that other sports’ governing bodies may start reporting similarly shocking claims.

His comments came as Operation Hydrant, which investigates allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, also attempted to calculate the scale of the alleged abuse.

The national inquiry into child sexual abuse has already contacted all forces in England and Wales asking them to urgently forward details of any allegations they have recently received.

Scotland Yard, Northumberland police, Cheshire police and Hampshire police have launched separate investigations after a string of former footballers came forward following the Guardian revelation that former footballer Andy Woodward, 43, had suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former coach at Crewe Alexandra.

On Saturday the Guardian revealed that Crewe Alexandra had been warned that Bennell had sexually abused one of his junior footballers, but had allowed him to stay at the club for a number of years.

Despite being pressed for a statement, Crewe refused to comment on Saturday, although the club has previously said it would conduct an internal investigation into the allegations.

Elsewhere, the quest to track down further alleged victims of Bennell and other paedophiles in the sport continued. The Football Association has contacted each county FA in England and Wales, asking them to forward any information to a special hotline. England captain Wayne Rooney has also urged anyone who may have been abused to seek help, while former Wales international Robbie Savage, who played for Crewe between 1994 and 1997, speculated that there could be hundreds of victims of sexual abuse in football.

Bailey said: “I suspect that in the next few days and weeks we will see a significant increase in the numbers that are currently reporting allegations of abuse to us.

“We are receiving reports of abuse in all sorts of different institutions. I am not in the least bit surprised that we are now seeing the lid lifted on exploitation within the world of football, and I suspect there will be other sporting governing bodies – again in the next few days and weeks – who will come forward and who will identify the fact that they have similar problems.”

Some of the claims have come from children’s charity the NSPCC, which last week set up a dedicated hotline – 0800 023 2642 – for football-related cases. The Premier League has said it is “very concerned” by the allegations.

On Friday, former players Steve Walters, Chris Unsworth and Jason Dunford spoke about being abused by Bennell in an emotional interview on Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC programme.

Former Manchester City youth team player Dunford said the scandal was bigger than the Jimmy Savile revelations. Police have put the total number of Savile’s possible victims at 589.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards. He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998. Bennell was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield. </s> The scandal surrounding allegations of historical child sex abuse in football could spread to other sports, a senior police officer has warned.



A significant number of other alleged victims of abuse are likely to come forward and further sporting governing bodies may report similar problems, Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, said.

Four police forces are now investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse in football.

The national inquiry into child sexual abuse said it was “watching events closely” and opened the door to examining allegations in the growing scandal as the England captain, Wayne Rooney, urged anyone who may have been assaulted to seek help.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Bailey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it’s probably a little bit too early to speculate but I suspect that in the next few days and weeks that we will see a significant increase in the numbers that are currently reporting allegations of abuse to us.”

The Norfolk chief constable added: “We, as a country, are now having to deal with the legacy of non-recent sexual abuse and the thousands of allegations that we are now seeing across the country.

“We are receiving reports of abuse in all sorts of different institutions. I am not in the least bit surprised that we are now seeing the lid lifted on exploitation within the world of football and I suspect there will be other sporting governing bodies – again in the next few days and weeks – who will come forward and who will identify the fact that they have similar problems.

“I just think that we have more and more victims, thankfully, who are having the confidence to come forward knowing the police service’s response and society’s response to their abuse is now very different.”

The Metropolitan police, Hampshire police and Cheshire police have all said they are investigating allegations of abuse in the football community.

Northumbria police said it was investigating an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle United player that he was abused in the club’s youth system.

The Guardian revealed earlier that an unnamed former Newcastle United player had contacted police to make allegations against George Ormond, a coach in the north-east who was jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults across a 24-year period.

Newcastle United said it would co-operate with authorities “if or when the club receives further information”.

Some of the claims have come from the NSPCC, which this week set up a dedicated hotline – on 0800 023 2642 – for football-related cases.

The Premier League said it was “very concerned” by the allegations.

A former Crewe board member also told the Guardian that the club had been told Bennell had sexually abused one of its junior footballers. Hamilton Smith, who was on the board between 1986 and 1990, said he called for a meeting after being told a boy had been abused.

Bennell was allowed to stay on but orders were issued that he should not be left alone with boys, Smith said.

He added: “This was discussed at the club’s top level and, as much as I tried to resolve this, regrettably I couldn’t. I dread to think how many victims there are, and my heart goes out to them.”

Former Manchester City youth team player Jason Dunford claimed on Friday the scandal was bigger than the Jimmy Savile revelations.

Chris Unsworth, 44, a former Crewe youngster who has also made allegations against Bennell, claimed it was “swept under the carpet”.

Ex-England and Manchester City players David White and Paul Stewart and former Crewe player Steve Walters have also spoken out about being sexually abused by football coaches as children.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards.

He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield.

Crewe said it would conduct an internal investigation and Manchester City is also reviewing Bennell’s links with the club.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has been in touch with all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity. </s> The country's third largest police force has launched a probe into allegations of historical child sex abuse in youth football after recent media reports prompted people to come forward.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) joined the Metropolitan Police and the Football Association in investigating the growing scandal, which was sparked when ex-player Andy Woodward spoke out about the abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted paedophile Barry Bennell.

It comes after it emerged that Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach, was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital on Friday night after being found unconscious, in what police called a "fear for welfare" incident.

GMP urged more victims to come forward and said complaints would be treated seriously.

Assistant Chief Constable Debbie Ford said: "Following recent media coverage, Greater Manchester Police has received a number of calls from people reporting historic sexual abuse whilst they were in the youth football system.

"We have now launched an investigation and our specially trained officers are supporting those who have come forward so far.

"We are co-ordinating our investigation with forces nationally and with Operation Hydrant, the national co-ordination hub for historic child abuse investigations concerning persons of public prominence.

"I would encourage anyone who was a victim of sexual or physical abuse to come forward and speak to us as soon as possible.

"I completely understand that for many people, making disclosures about such traumatic events can be difficult, but we will offer advice and support throughout."

On Sunday the FA instructed independent leading counsel Kate Gallafent QC to oversee its internal review, assessing "what information the FA was aware of at the relevant times, what clubs were aware of, and what action was or should have been taken".

Her recommendations will be considered but the FA accepts a full, wide-ranging inquiry may yet be necessary.

Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, accused the FA of being slow in responding to the growing scandal.

The MP for Folkestone & Hythe told the BBC: "This internal review needs to go much wider. They need to make it clear that this is a full investigation. The person leading it can take it in whatever direction they want, that anyone in football who is called as a witness is compelled to give evidence.

"We have seen allegations that clubs paid off players to keep quiet. People have come forward saying that people within their club knew, that they made complaints that weren't acted on, the people at the FA knew, and, therefore, what did the FA do with the evidence they were given?

"I think too often, particularly in football, where independent investigations are launched, they often have very narrow terms of reference and their findings are kept private."

The Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Police and Cheshire Police have already said they are investigating allegations of abuse in the football community.

Northumbria Police said it was investigating an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle player that he was abused in the club's youth system. Newcastle said they would co-operate with authorities "if or when the club receives further information".

UEFA has given its support to the FA as it conducts a review into the allegations.

"UEFA is aware of the allegations of sexual abuse made by several footballers in the English media," UEFA chief of communications Pedro Pinto said.

"We are very concerned by these disturbing revelations and would like to state categorically that any kind of abusive behaviour in the game is completely unacceptable. We send our support to the Football Association, who we trust is doing all it can to investigate the matter." </s> The Football Association (FA) has appointed a senior lawyer to assist with its review into historical child sex abuse allegations.

Kate Gallafent QC will oversee the internal review which has been set up following a string of allegations by former youth footballers.

Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Durham FA has moved quickly to reassure the public of its strict policies to prevent abuse.

The national FA said that a "wide-ranging inquiry may be required in time" but said it was supporting police with their investigations and "must ensure we do not do anything to interfere with or jeopardise the criminal process".

It added: "The internal review will look into what information the FA was aware of at the relevant times around the issues that have been raised in the press, what clubs were aware of, and what action was or should have been taken."

Gallafent will make recommendations "to ensure these situations can never be repeated", the FA said.

The Metropolitan Police and forces in Hampshire, Northumbria and Cheshire said they are investigating abuse allegations.

Some claims came from a dedicated NSPCC hotline - on 0800 023 2642 - commissioned by the FA for football-related cases.

A "significant" number of other alleged victims of abuse are likely to come forward and other sporting governing bodies may report similar problems, Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, has warned.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards. He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield.

Those to have made allegations against Bennell include former Manchester City star David White and youth player Jason Dunford, plus ex-Crewe player Steve Walters and youngster Chris Unsworth.

Former England international Paul Stewart has also spoken out about being sexually abused by a coach as a child.

The Guardian reported that an unnamed former Newcastle United player had also contacted police with allegations against George Ormond, a north- east coach jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults spanning 24 years.

Crewe Alexandra has said it will launch an independent review of the way it dealt with historical child abuse allegations.

A former Crewe board member said the club was told Bennell had sexually abused one of its junior footballers.

Hamilton Smith, who was on the board between 1986 and 1990, told The Guardian he called for a meeting after being told a boy had been abused.

Bennell was allowed to stay on but orders were issued that he should not be left alone with boys, Mr Smith said.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said it was "watching events closely" and opened the door to examining allegations in the growing scandal.

The Premier League said it is "very concerned" by the allegations.

Newcastle United said it would co-operate with authorities "if or when the club receives further information" and Manchester City said it is reviewing Bennell's links with the club.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has contacted all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley urged victims of abuse in sport to contact police, saying "you will be listened to".

She told BBC 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics: "I welcome the FA's announcement that they have just made about employing Kate Gallafent QC to look at this.

"We do need to look at this independently, we do need to make sure that the FA and others who I know take this seriously - I spoke to them last week - get to the bottom of this, understand what happened.

"But to anyone who has been a victim, no matter what sport, no matter what part of life, if you have been a victim of abuse please come forward so we can get that evidence, get that information and we can make sure perpetrators are brought to justice." </s> The Football Association was today urged to begin a wide-ranging inquiry into the full scale of the child sex abuse scandal, as more players revealed they were victims.

Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport committee, called on the FA to order an investigation similar to the one carried out by Dame Janet Smith into the BBC’s culture and practices during the Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall years.

The Conservative MP told BBC radio: “They need to make it clear that this is a full investigation, the person leading it can take it in whatever direction they want, that anyone in football who is called as a witness is compelled to give evidence.

"It should not just investigate individual allegations made in the past but ask the question, ‘Should people in football have known more, was it reasonable that they could have known more, should they have done more at the time, and are there problems with the whole culture within football that meant this problem went undetected and unresolved for so long?’”

He said the inquiry’s author must be able to publish any report in full.

As many as seven professional football clubs are now embroiled in the growing child sex abuse scandal, with more than 20 former players alleging that they were victims. Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, said: “We’d start at Crewe, go to Man City, Stoke, Blackpool, Newcastle, Leeds ... I’m expecting there will be more.”

The FA stepped up its response to the crisis by appointing lawyer Kate Gallafent QC to assist with its review into historical child sex abuse allegations dating back to the Seventies. Fifa is to monitor the situation.

Last week Andy Woodward became the first ex-player to speak out about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted paedophile Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach who was jailed three times in 20 years for abusing young boys.

Others who have made allegations against Bennell include former Manchester City star David White, ex-Crewe player Steve Walters, youth players Chris Unsworth and Jason Dunford and Anthony Hughes, who represented England at the 1993 World Youth Championships. Former England international Paul Stewart has also alleged he was sexually abused by a coach.

The Premier League said it was “very concerned” by the claims. The Metropolitan police and forces in Hampshire, Northumbria and Cheshire said they were investigating abuse allegations.

An FA spokesman said: “With acknowledgement that a wide-ranging inquiry may be required in time, we are working closely with the police to support their lead investigations and must ensure we do not do anything to interfere with or jeopardise the criminal process.” </s> The Football Association has appointed an independent legal counsel, Kate Gallafent QC, to assist its review into historical child abuse allegations.

Ms Gallafent will oversee the association’s internal review into claims of sexual abuse made by a growing number of former youth footballers.

The FA suggested a fully-fledged inquiry may follow but the initial review would explore “what information the FA was aware of at the relevant times around the issues that have been raised in the press, what clubs were aware of, and what action was or should have been taken.”

Ms Gallafent will then provide recommendations “to ensure these situations can never be repeated”.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards. He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield.

The Guardian reported that an unnamed former Newcastle United player had also contacted police with allegations against George Ormond, a North East coach jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults spanning 24 years.

A “significant” number of other alleged victims of abuse are likely to come forward and other sporting governing bodies may report similar problems, said Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for child protection.
Four police forces in England say they are actively investigating allegations of child sexual abuse in association football. Several ex-players have gone public with allegations against former Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City coach Barry Bennell.