Last week, Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster courageously spoke out about the sexual abuse she suffered as a teenager at the hands of her athletics coach.

Her story, like those of countless others I've heard while at the Child Protection in Sport Unit, brought home how crucial it is that proper measures are in place to protect children in sport from being exploited.

Of course, it is important to emphasise that the vast majority of those involved in coaching children in sports have only the best interests of those they work with in mind.

Through a lifetime's involvement in sport as a participant and volunteer and through my work I've seen the best of our sports coaches, instructors and helpers. Most people involved genuinely care about the welfare of children and young people and have had a positive impact on their lives.

Unfortunately there are a small minority who instead seek to abuse the trust placed in them. This doesn't just happen in sport as many high profile cases, including that of Jimmy Savile, have demonstrated. Abusers often seek out positions of trust, across a number of sectors – sport, entertainment, education, health, child care - that will give them access to children so that they can manipulate and abuse them.

Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster has spoken out about the sexual abuse she suffered as a teenager ©Twitter



Current cases in the media focus on the culture of celebrity. To children and young people their coaches have that status regardless of the level of participation.

So what can sports clubs do to protect children and young people from exploitation?

It is vital that rigorous child protection and safeguarding measures are put in place by all organisations working with young people.

The vast majority of sports organisations have already taken sensible steps towards protecting children, through the establishment of practice guidance and policies.

All clubs should have a code of conduct, setting out how staff and volunteers should act towards the young people in their care. These need to include proper complaints and disciplinary procedures.

There should also be safe recruitment procedures in place ensuring that only those who have been appropriately checked to work with children are appointed.

The case of TV personality Jimmy Savile has highlighted the issue of those who abuse a position of trust ©Getty Images


Coaches and those working directly with children and young people also need training to identify signs and indicators of abuse. They need to be prepared to respond appropriately to a child who may turn to them as a trusted adult if they are worried about abuse inside or outside of sport.

There needs to be a culture of openness that applies equally to children and young people, paid staff and volunteers alike. Charlie's story illustrated how abusers can be extremely sophisticated in the way they groom and manipulate children, exploiting their innocence and leaving them to suffer in silence.

Children should know who they can go and talk to and that they shouldn't be afraid to speak out and get the right support.  All clubs should have a trained club welfare officer who the children know they can turn to.

And staff and volunteers should be aware it is their duty to report concerns they have about a child's welfare and feel confident that there will be no negative repercussions for them if they do this.

We are also calling for the legislation that prohibits certain adults in positions of trust from having sexual activity with young people aged 16 to 17 in their care to be extended to cover coaches and instructors.

Charlie spoke of how she saw her coach as a role model - this is the case for many young people. Abusers know this and use it to manipulate and exploit young people. I've seen cases where coaches deliberately wait until a teenager turns 16 before exploiting them, knowing that legally they are able to do so.

While the majority of national governing bodies of sport and clubs have rules in place prohibiting relationships between adults and those in their care under 18, legally this is permitted.

It leads to the illogical position where an adult employed by a school could be teaching a 16 year old schoolgirl P.E. and be legally prohibited from having a sexual relationship with her, whereas if he was coaching the same girl in a  sports club this prohibition wouldn't apply. This is despite the fact that she would have the same vulnerabilities, and see the adult as a trusted role model in both situations.

Some might argue if those over the age of consent enter into a relationship with their coach there is no issue. But this is to ignore the power imbalance between the two which means that young people can easily be exploited. Sadly I've seen this happen all too often. This is why we are calling for the legislation to be changed.

For the majority of children, sport is a positive, enjoyable and safe experience. Taking some sensible steps to put proper safeguards in place to prevent abuse will help to ensure this is the case.

For guidance including template safeguarding policies and procedures click here.