Rachel Tarr, The FA’s Child Protection Manager, points out that that the safeguarding of children and young people is the responsibility of every adult in football, and The FA is, and always has been, committed to supporting clubs to embrace this concept.

“Every club has a responsibility to play its part in ensuring it provides an experience that is fun, encouraging and safe for everyone,” she says.

“A good starting point is to ensure that every club has an appropriate child protection policy which is underpinned by The FA’s comprehensive policy and procedures.

"This is a requirement of affiliation to The FA and something which has been in place since 2000. The development of a club policy need not be a difficult task. The FA’s Club child protection policy is a template which all grassroots clubs can replicate with ease.

"All they need to do is place their club name in the appropriate places. However, while it has been developed to help clubs, we ask that they read it fully and embrace it rather than simply replicate it.

“With many clubs already having appointed a Club Welfare Officer (CWO), we feel that this template will provide both guidance and consistency across many clubs. It allows them to either compare and revise, where necessary, the current club policy or implement this one. It’s a great starting point for developing a common-sense and proactive stance to safeguarding within any grassroots club.

"All clubs are encouraged to compare their current child protection policies to this FA template and see if there is anything that they can take on board this season to further develop much of the great work that is going on in clubs to date."