Former England international Paul Stewart has been awarded the Sir Bobby Charlton Award by the Football Association in recognition of his decade-long work protecting young athletes from abuse. The 60-year-old, who played for Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, has trained safeguarding officers at Premier League academies and all 72 English Football League clubs.
Stewart first revealed his own abuse by late coach Frank Roper in the Daily Mirror in 2016, prompting contact from numerous other victims. He described the award as meaning more than his playing career accolades, including England caps and an FA Cup final goal. 'Sir Bobby was not only one of the best players in the world on the pitch, he was a gentleman off it,' Stewart said. 'Everything about him oozed class, honesty and humility.'
The award, confirmed by the FA Council, will be presented at Wembley. FA Chair Debbie Hewitt MBE said: 'We are immensely proud to honour Paul Stewart... These awards were created to recognise those who use football as a force for good, and both Paul and Chris embody that spirit through their unwavering and tireless commitment every day.'
Stewart's safeguarding work has expanded beyond football, with support from Gary Lineker, Kevin Sinfield, Brian Moore, Ian Poulter and Marilyn Okoro. He is establishing a union for safeguarding officers to provide rights and advice comparable to the Professional Footballers' Association, and plans to lobby the Government for a Safeguarding Act.
The Hope Award, named after the late charity volunteer Charlotte Hope, was given to Chris Brown for his work with Norfolk families facing terminal childhood cancer.
