The men behind an independent body launched Monday in the wake of football's abuse scandal urged the clubs involved to apologise and support the fight for justice. The Offside Trust was launched to help victims of abuse and will work separately from the English Football Association and Professional Footballers' Association.
The trust has been created by Andy Woodward, Steve Walters and Chris Unsworth, who were all the victims of historic child abuse. Two weeks ago Woodward waived his anonymity to reveal he was the victim of sexual abuse while a youth player at Crewe in the 1980s.
Since Woodward came forward there have been 18 police forces involved in investigations concerning 450 alleged victims. "An apology would be a start. At least we have that and can move forward," Woodward told reporters in Manchester at the launch.
"The sheer size and scale of the problem is illustrated by the fact that over 860 victims have come forward in the last few days. "It is clear that abuse has existed on a major scale for many years. This trust will support all of those who are victims of abuse to include their families and children.
"We also hope that those who benefit from sport to include the FA, the PFA, the Premier League and other stakeholders support and donate to the trust. "We want to fight for justice. We want reform and be able to move forward to protect children in all walks of life because we went through it. We just want to help people." Walters revealed that neither he nor Woodward have been contacted by Crewe since they decided to come forward.
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