By speaking publicly about the sexual abuse which they suffered at the hands of those whose care they were in when they played football as children, Paul Stewart and other survivors have helped to transform the grassroots game in the United Kingdom.
Boys' and girls' clubs from Plymouth to Peterhead are far, far safer places today than they were during the dark days of the distant past as a direct consequence of their brave, powerful and harrowing testimonies.
Stewart revealed he had been assaulted on a daily basis for four years from the age of 11 by his coach – who threatened to kill his relatives if he ever mentioned what was happening to anyone – at his local side Nova Juniors in Manchester back in 2016.
His story prompted the FA to commission an independent review which found they had been guilty of “significant institutional failings” by delaying the introduction of “appropriate and sufficient child protection measures” and led to sweeping, overdue and much-needed reforms.
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Yet, the former Blackpool, Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool, Sunderland and England striker turned midfielder, believes that more work still needs to be done to ensure that no kid is ever subjected to what he and many, many others went through.
“When I came forward it definitely, along with others who spoke out, had a profound effect on how safeguarding children who are participating in sport was looked at,” he said. “Football was one of the sports which took giant steps to improve.
“But the reason my fight goes on is because I still don't believe that many organisations see safeguarding as a priority. I was on a call with the NSPCC and the heads of safeguarding at all of the national governing bodies earlier this week. Their frustrations are still the same.
“The people who make decisions at these organisations either don't support safeguarding or don’t feel that safeguarding should be a priority. The safeguarding department always has the lowest budget. Whenever they hit financial issues, the first people who are asked to vacate their jobs are the welfare officers.
“I'm determined to make sure safeguarding doesn't sit at the bottom. It shouldn’t just be a bolt-on, an add-on. It's something that should be made a priority. There should be investment in safeguarding. Because all of these football clubs are ultimately going to be profiting off of all these young children who are coming through.
“Without the grassroots side of the sport, you wouldn't have your top players in the Premier League in England and Premiership in Scotland today. They've all come through that system.
“We need to make sure that while they're on that journey they're as safe as they possibly can be. That's why I don't think my work will stop any time in the future. I'm going to keep advocating for safeguarding to be the number one priority at all of these organisations.”
Stewart added, “I see everything which has been put in place. We are putting layers and layers of safety on top of each other. We have the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) in England and in Scotland there is the PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups). So it is safer and safer for children. But it still doesn't mean every kid is safe sadly. We're not there yet.
“This issue is always evolving. Look at AI now. It is being used by these people (paedophiles) to access children and to perpetrate abuse. So, while we are in a better place when it comes to safeguarding, we can't afford to get complacent. These people are finding other ways, like through online gaming.
“I spoke at a club - I can't name which club it was – down here a few weeks ago. I was told that some of these people had going through the Roblox online game that all of the kids are playing now to gain access to children. They were trying to find a way to meet them outside of the game. It is actually far worse now than it ever was before in many ways.”
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Stewart now dedicates his life to the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults in football. He provides safeguarding guidance and education to football clubs, governing bodies and other sporting organisations. He was presented with the prestigious Contribution to League Football award by the EFL in April in recognition of his important work.
He had no hesitation agreeing to join Emile Heskey, the former Leicester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and England striker, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the ex-Leeds United, Chelsea and Netherlands forward, and become an ambassador for the Football Safety App this year.
The free app can be used by supporters of any partner club to report incidents of crowd trouble, such as racist chanting, missile throwing or acts of violence, at matches.
Their messages go straight through to a 24 hour control room and stewards are immediately despatched. Warnings are also sent out to fans to stay away from the area where the disorder is occurring.
Cambridge United, Sheffield Wednesday and Shrewsbury Town in England and Clyde and Dumbarton in Scotland have already signed up and discussions are ongoing with many others both south and north of the border.
But executives at the company behind the app have stressed that youth football associations will be able to tackle the sort of misconduct in the grassroots game which was highlighted by a series of alarming articles in these pages last month.
Spectators are able download videos of players, referees and coaches being abused, accosted and assaulted from the touchlines and so ensure the offending adults are disciplined appropriately and the disorder stamped out.
“It has been developed to try and ensure people can enjoy their pastimes, in particular football, without worrying about having to worry about any trouble,” said Stewart.
“When it comes to youth football, coaches and parents have a responsibility to behave. But they're probably the most badly behaved on the touch lines. How often do you see an adult at the side of the pitch shouting and screaming at children? It happens all the time.
“I felt the Football Safety App would at least give people the opportunity to report it and know that action will be taken almost immediately. I wanted to make sure there is another layer of safety for those who go and watch football, but also those who want to participate and play.
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“I find myself watching shaking my head when I watch football on television these days. When players go over to take throw-ins or corner kicks, I see grown adults hurling abuse at them.
“A lot of the time they've got their children alongside them. We are still seeing behaviour that's acceptable now. Unless we take a stance and try and stop it, the game is going to suffer for it.
“Because of my background, I see this as a way of stopping any kind of abuse that's being aimed at players, opposing supporters, whoever. If there is any trouble then people can report it. We should be trying our darndest to eradicate it from football first of all, but society itself.
“Look at antisemitism now. I saw on the news this week that incidents affecting Jewish students, academics and staff on university campuses in the United KIngdom has risen 14 per cent in the last year. It’s 2026 now for goodness sake!
“It is about education. I'd like to think that as the app develops they can use it to educate people as well. From speaking to the people behind it, it definitely has the capabilities to do more than just reporting troublemakers.
“But if it is used at football matches and these people are identified then clubs and associations have got to take the right steps to either suspend them so that they're not there and are not allowed to go and perpetrate this abuse.”
Sadly, a smart phone app is not going to prevent the sort of abuse which Stewart and thousands of others boys and girls suffered when they were growing up. Still, he is convinced it will help to make both professional and amateur football far safer.
“People don't understand the long-term effects which abuse, whether it is physical, verbal, racial, can have,” he said. “It can be devastating on an individual. There is no place for it in society today.
“I see the app as just being another layer of protection which enables people to enjoy their pastimes whether they are playing or spectating. The reason why I'm so behind it is because it can safeguard children. But adults need safeguarding from some of the things that I see happening football today at the top level.
“Why wouldn't you use it? If organisations were being charged to use it then it probably wouldn't have got off the ground. But the fact is it costs nothing, it is easily accessible and it is easy to use.
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“It doesn’t just have to be used in the ground, it can be used on the way to a ground as well. A grassroots organisation can use it and adults who are causing disruption for whatever reason can be reported.
“It's another set of eyes. You have stewards and the police in situ in the professional game. But if people in the stadium are watching fans and using this football app it will go a long, long way to increasing the security that is already on hand.
“They can put as many officers in there as they want, but it won’t stop all the abuse, the fighting, the disturbances. The app is right there in front of you. You only have to press a few buttons and people will be ejected from the ground. It makes the experience so much more pleasant for everybody. And 99 per cent of people want to go and enjoy the football because they love it and it's a relief for them.”
The organisers of Fun 4s – non-competitive, small-sided games for six and seven-year-olds – in Falkirk caused controversy last month when he shut down after a coach was headbutted on the sidelines following a dispute about a throw-in. But Stewart knows that action must be taken and a zero tolerance message sent out.
“Unfortunately, these people are still out there,” he said. “There are still people who want to go to football and abuse players and there are still people who want to physically abuse children.
“We need to do everything we can to eradicate it because it shouldn't be happening. But we need to make sure that if these people are reported the punishment fits the crime. An example has to be set.”
