What is the Sheldon Report?
- The Sheldon Report investigated non-recent child sexual abuse in football.
- It was commissioned by the FA after survivors came forward in 2016.
- Survivors like Ian Ackley, Paul Stewart, and David Lean emphasised the need for accountability, broader safeguarding across all sports, and learning from past failures.
Mark Bullingham Chief Executive of the FA:
"One of our main aims when we commissioned this review was to understand what the game knew. The clear answer is ‘not enough’. There is simply no excuse for this. The game failed to provide the support these children needed. It is shocking and unthinkable that the right questions were not being asked at that time.
"As a game, we failed to prevent this abuse. We all have to learn from that, in order to protect future generations. We will continue to keep safeguarding children at the heart of everything we do. The past must never be forgotten, and we must never be complacent."
Sheldon Report key themes
Safeguarding culture
- Safeguarding must be central to sports culture to ensure children’s safety.
- The report highlights systemic failures, including bystanders not acting and children not being believed.
Survivor voices
- Survivors expressed hope that the report would lead to real change.
- The FA acknowledged its past failures and committed to keeping safeguarding at the heart of football.
FA’s response
- The FA accepted all 13 recommendations from the Sheldon Report.
- These recommendations are relevant not just to football but to all sports.
David Lean urged other sports to take note
"I want the national governing bodies from other sports to look at this and go, 'are we right?'
"This isn't just about football. If we ring fence football and make it really secure and tight, some of these offenders will look at other ways of getting towards children.”
Sheldon Report recommendations
Engaging parents (recommendation 1)
Encourage tailored safeguarding training for parents.
Help parents recognise signs of abuse and feel confident discussing concerns.
We support parents and carers through the SafeInSport volunteer programme, the Parent Hub on the website and the annual Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport campaign.
Training for staff and volunteers (recommendations 2–5)
Safeguarding training should be provided across all levels of sports organisations.
We support the FA and other sports bodies in developing training programmes. You can learn more about our funded and bespoke training on our training pages.
Listening to young people (recommendation 7)
Young people’s voices should inform decision-making in sport.
We offer a course to help coaches and volunteers involve youth in planning and delivery, available to Sport Council funded organisations. Learn more on our training pages.
Club policies (Recommendation 8)
Grassroots clubs must make safeguarding policies and welfare officer contact details easily accessible.
Clubs should regularly remind parents and under 18s about these policies.
We offer help and advice on putting safeguards in place, including policies, procedures and embedding safeguarding practices.
Ongoing support and resources
The NSPCC Helpline has a dedicated football helpline, which received 846 contacts by March 2020. You can report any concern anonymously to the NSPCC Helpline on 0800 023 2642 for support.
Further resources include:
- Free e-learning for parents: Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport
- Protecting children from grooming and sexual abuse – CPSU guidance
- Learning from lived experience of childhood sexual abuse – CPSU podcast
The Sheldon Report is a call to action for all sports to improve safeguarding. Everyone, including governing bodies, clubs, coaches, parents, shares responsibility. The goal is a safe, inclusive environment where children can thrive in sport.
You can download the full Sheldon Report from The FA's website.