Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse in Football

In November 2016 a number of adults came forward in Scotland and England to share their experiences of abuse, particularly sexual abuse, in football.  Their courageous decision has led to other people coming forward since that time to talk about their own experiences, both publicly and privately. 

Abuse in football can take a number of different forms – it can be physical, emotional, sexual, neglectful and/or bullying in nature.  Abuse in football is never OK and it is never the fault of the person abused.

There is no place for abuse in football and the Scottish FA takes its responsibilities for the prevention of abuse very seriously. 

If you or a person you know has been abused when involved in Scottish football then we would like to know so that we can:

• look into your experiences – we will do this by following our wellbeing and protection concerns procedure
• do what we can to support your recovery by helping you to access suitable services
• learn from those experiences so we can do all we can to prevent abuse in football in the future

We can’t make decisions about civil or criminal liability for your experiences or offer compensation since these are all matters for a court, but we can listen, learn and support you to access services as best we can.

Listening and Learning

You can contact us by:

Email: childrenswellbeing@scottishfa.co.uk

Telephone: 0141 616 6133

Post:  The Wellbeing and Protection Team, Scottish FA, Hampden Park, Glasgow.  G42 9BA.

A member of the wellbeing and protection team will be the first person you speak to and, where possible, this person will remain your point of contact for as long as you are in touch with us.

What can you expect if you do contact us?

• We will support you to say what you want to say, however you want to say it. This could be by meeting with us, speaking to us on the telephone or in writing
• We will listen to you
• We will treat you with respect
• We will keep any information about you safe and secure
• If you tell us information that suggests that a child is, or may be, at risk of harm we will pass that information to agencies such as Police Scotland or Local Authority Social Work Services. We will always tell you if we need to share the information you have given us in this way.

Supporting You

The Scottish FA is not a counselling or support service but we can help you to access support from others if that is what you would like to do.   Any service we support you to access will be at no cost to you.

Different types of support are available and we will discuss different options with you initially so that you can decide what is best for you.    We will never share information about you with any support organisation without your permission. 

Examples of support can include:

• A Needs Assessment – a needs assessment with a Clinical Psychologist is something that we could arrange for you through the Hampden Sports Clinic. A needs assessment is a way of making sense of your experiences in the context of your life events, social situation, relationships and employment choices. Initial needs assessment sessions normally take approximately ninety minutes and a discussion will then take place on the best way forward.   If further support is agreed then you will be referred to the most appropriate agency for this support to be given.

• Counselling – this involves meeting with a trained counsellor to talk about your mental health and wellbeing and how to resolve any concerns about this.  This will usually be arranged for you through the Hampden Sports Clinic.

• Practical support from an organisation like Victim Support Scotland. This could involve helping you access information about the criminal justice system, providing general practical and emotional support or helping you find other services to support you.

You can also contact any of the services listed below that you may feel will be able to help you. You can contact them directly, but if you don’t feel confident enough to do that then we can help you to get in touch with someone who can listen to you and support you.

Police Scotland: http://www.scotland.police.uk/

Your GP or NHS24: https://www.nhs24.scot/

Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/

Parentline: https://www.children1st.org.uk/help-for-families/parentline-scotland/

Victim Support Scotland: https://www.victimsupportsco.org.uk/

Mental Health and Wellbeing: http://breathingspace.scot/

Wellbeing audio resources, including relaxation: http://wellbeing-glasgow.org.uk/audio-resources/

Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

Gamblers Anonymous: https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/

Money Advice: http://www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk/

Money Advice: https://www.nationaldebtline.org/S/Pages/default.aspx

Eating Disorders: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

Domestic Abuse: http://womensaid.scot/

Survivors of Sexual Abuse: https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

Survivors of Sexual Abuse: http://talknow.org.uk/

Survivors of Sexual Abuse: http://www.breakthesilence.org.uk/

Reporting Childhood Abuse to Police Scotland

In 2019 Police Scotland produced a film to give information to adult survivors of abuse in childhood.  It takes us through the journey of reporting to police, the subsequent criminal justice process and focuses on key areas covering some frequently asked questions. It also provides advice on support services.

Police Scotland will always investigate reports of child abuse no matter where or when it happened or who was involved.  Their priority is always to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of the person reporting, to identify anyone who may pose a risk to children and to protect any person who may be at risk of harm.