Former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool star Paul Stewart delivered a powerful speech at St. Georges’ Park in front of nearly 200 safeguarding professionals from across the game.
Stewart, now part of the awareness raising group, SAVE, joined conference host and former England full-back Graeme Le Saux at the ‘Keeping Football Safe and Enjoyable’ conference.
"It's our job to educate parents and kids to know what is right and wrong," said Stewart, who scored for Spurs in the 1991 FA Cup Final.
"It's everyone's responsibility and that extends to coaches and managers, committee members and so on.
"It took me 41 years before I said anything about what happened to me. It was during an era when kids were ‘seen and not heard’. Children and young people are much more aware these days but we can’t be complacent.
"I hope all the good safeguarding work being done in football filters out in other regulated activity.
"The FA has done a lot to put procedures in place and I just hope people are adhering to it. We’ll never eradicate this - I’m not naive - but if we can work hard to limit it where possible, that is something we should be aiming for.
"When I came forward about what I had been through in November 2016, my story gave others the strength to speak. I know that because people have told me. To that end I feel a sense of achievement about it."
An acknowledgement of the work done by safeguarding and welfare professionals in the game since the non-recent allegations in the game came to light last year was given.
"There will have been times when you felt isolated and had tough conversations internally whether you’re at clubs, leagues or County FA's," said FA director of strategy and communications, Robert Sullivan.
"But look around you; what you’re achieving in the game is fundamental to making sure people feel intuitively safe."
It was a theme continued by Anne Tiivas from the Child Protection in Sport Unit, who said: "It was the first time we'd seen this level of interest from outside the game particularly with MPs and other opinion formers.
"These revelations have resulted in a lot of soul searching from organisations and we have to try and encourage those that are being abused in sport to speak out in what are often extremely challenging circumstances. Everyone in this room has their own part to play in this."
The audience also heard from Richard Fewkes, national co-ordinator for Operation Hydrant, as well as CEO from the Sporting Chance clinic, Colin Bland. Another speaker, Elly Hanson, an independent clinic, also took the stage.
She said: "We know from parents and adults that people being abused often turn away. We know simply by having these discussions hugely increase disclosure rates of abuse. As a game, and as a society, we need to get better at doing this particularly as we know the positive results in can bring."
Questions from the floor came throughout the day from a range of people working in the game and a special presentation was given to Ann Hussey from the English Football League and pivotal figure in the organisations safeguarding work for the past decade, who retires this week.
