Former England international Paul Stewart is to be recognised by the Football Association for his decade-long work protecting young people from child abuse, a cause he took up after revealing his own ordeal as a victim in the football abuse scandal.
Stewart, who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, first described the abuse he suffered as a child in a Mirror front-page story in November 2016. The FA will honour him and other victims of the scandal at England's match against Croatia next week.
A Decade of Speaking Out
Stewart's decision to go public encouraged hundreds of others to share their own experiences for the first time. He has spent the past ten years working to protect future generations and wants his legacy to be the safeguarding work that shields young players.
He now travels across the country and Europe, visiting football clubs, youth organisations, schools and universities. He recently attended meetings at Wembley, Exeter, Rotherham United and Nottingham after setting up a safeguarding union, of which he is executive chairman.
Recognition and Awards
Stewart received an honorary doctorate from the University of Salford for his work with student social workers. He also led the creation of a new safeguarding guide designed to tackle all forms of child abuse across every sport.
The former Blackpool, Manchester City and Sunderland midfielder worked with Gary Lineker, rugby league's Kevin Sinfield, former England and British Lions great Brian Moore, Ryder Cup golfer Ian Poulter and Olympic medallist Marilyn Okoro on the 'survivor led' safeguarding course, which gave parents and coaches skills to prevent child abuse in sport.
He has also received the English Football League's Contribution To Football award and the Sir Bobby Charlton Award from the FA. He and fellow victims of the scandal will be guests of honour at the England v Croatia game.
Speaking Out and the Abuser
Stewart said: "I became a voice for the people who were victims of abuse as children. It took me a long time to speak out. I spent years thinking about it, going through it in my mind, trying to summon up the courage. But I am so glad that I did. I don't think that I would be here now if I hadn't made that decision."
He had kept the abuse he suffered at the hands of his youth coach Frank Roper secret until the 2016 Mirror interview. He added: "It is impossible to live your life like that. It would have killed me."
Roper, a junior coach based in Manchester, was convicted of indecent assault on a minor in 1960, 1961, 1965 and 1984. There was 'no formal mechanism' for Blackpool FC, where he worked as a scout, to obtain his criminal record. The FA's official report into the scandal, published in 2021, found that allegations may have been made to the club's Youth Team Coach, but this 'could not be verified'.
FA Apology and Report Findings
Stewart described his childhood ordeal in his life story, 'Damaged'. He still remembers driving from his home in Blackpool in 2016 to tell his mum Joyce, 87, and dad Bert, who died more than two years ago, about Roper. The youth coach died in 2005 and never faced justice.
Stewart now gives talks to parents, coaches, owners and youngsters about the importance of safeguarding. He said: "So many people come up to me and disclose their own experiences for the first time. That takes real courage. I help them as much as I can."
The FA admitted there was 'no excuse' after Clive Sheldon QC concluded the governing body failed to keep youngsters safe at a host of top clubs. Chief executive Mark Bullingham issued a 'heartfelt apology', saying victims did not receive the protection they deserved.
The FA's 2021 Independent Report into Child Sexual Abuse in Football covered the period from 1970 to 2005. It concluded no guidance was provided to those working in football on 'child protection matters' even after coaches were taken to court. Bullingham admitted an investigation should have been launched when allegations first emerged against the Crewe Alexandra scout Barry Bennell in the 1990s. "There's a famous quote that says: 'For evil to flourish, it simply requires that good people do nothing,'" he said. "There are too many examples of that." The 710-page Sheldon report, commissioned in 2016, reviewed 220 hours of recordings and 10,000 pages of survivor testimony, and paid tribute to Andy Woodward, the first victim to come forward in 2016.
