Huntingdonshire FA Partnership with The Offside Trust
Hunts FA are pleased to announce The Offside Trust as their new community safeguarding partner.
In November 2016 British Football was rocked by a series of high-profile revelations regarding child sexual abuse. Several former players bravely waived their right to anonymity to speak out about their past abuse.
Following the revelations, A number of those involved, decided to set up The Offside Trust, an organisation committed to supporting survivors and working to make sport safer for children led by former professional footballer Steve Walters and former Peterborough youth Player Dion Raitt as the company directors.
The Offside Trust are proud to work with and support fellow survivors. In addition to Steve and Dion the Offside Trust family includes their amazing ambassadors listed below and some that prefer to remain anonymous:
- Gary Cliffe - Former Manchester City Youth Player
- Callum Hancock - Professional Boxer
- Alan Arber - Former Norwich City Reserve Player
The Offside Trust's aims and objectives are:
- To raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding and across all sports and all levels.
- To provide survivors with advice, guidance, and resources to aid the healing journey.
- To campaign for legal and regulatory changes to improve safeguarding in sport.
- To secure partnerships with clubs at all levels, in all sports
- To engage survivors and signpost them to the appropriate professional support
- To engage with survivors in the offside trust network.
- To support charitable helplines with specific focus on survivors in sport
- To change the law on child sexual abuse being exempt from the double jeopardy law
- To lobby for Mandatory Reporting to be adopted in UK law.
- To engage with political and judicial bodies to strengthen legal support for survivors.
The East Anglian Ambassador is Alan Arber, and he is contactable on alan.offsidetrust@gmail.com or on twitter @arber_boy and is willing to speak to anyone on safeguarding and the possibility of support for The Offside Trust.
We encourage our clubs and leagues to become involved with The Offside Trust by getting in touch with Alan directly, or by visiting www.offsidetrust.com. Huntingdonshire FA look forward to working with The Offside Trust to raise awareness, engage with clubs and support individuals across the county. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events including The Offside Trust!.
