Over 2,000 referrals have been received by the Police relating to child abuse in football
Following widespread national publicity regarding allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse in football in November 2016, many police forces across the country received an increased number of calls from victims and from people offering information.
Statistics released by Operation Hydrant provide an indicative national figure in relation to allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse within football.
Football abuse scandal statistics released
- 2,028 referrals have been received by Operation Hydrant from the NSPCC helpline and directly from police forces.
- The indicative number of victims now stands at 784.
- 285 suspects have been identified.
- 331 football clubs have been impacted. The figure spans all tiers of football, from premier clubs through to amateur.
- 96% of those identified as victims are male.
- The age range for victims at the time of the abuse spans 4 years through to 20 years.
Abuse in Sport
The vast majority of referrals relate to football. However, a number of other sports have also been the subject of a referral.
27 referrals relate to sports outside football including basketball, rugby, gymnastics, martial arts, tennis, wrestling, golf, sailing, athletics, cricket, and swimming.
Child Abuse Prevention
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Child Protection, Chief Constable Simon Bailey said: “Allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse are complex, and often require specialist skills and knowledge, and can take time to progress. However, all allegations and information received by police forces across the country are being acted upon.
“When allegations are reported it enables police to assess whether there are current safeguarding risks and ensure that appropriate action is being taken to prevent children being abused today.”
Note: These are indicative figures based on the information available at the time of publication, and may fluctuate.
