A former footballer from Nantwich who suffered sexual abuse as a player, has been appointed the new safeguarding champion at Cheshire FA.
Gary Cliffe, now a detective with Staffordshire Police, was one of the key contributors to the FA’s inquiry into child sex abuse in football between 1970 and 2005.
Gary took part in the BBC documentary, ‘Football’s Darkest Secrets’, and revealed he was abused by prolific paedophile Barry Bennell when was a youth player at Manchester City.
Now the detective has landed a new role as a director with Cheshire FA, and bids to ensure all young players can play in a safe environment.
Gary said: “I am delighted to be the safeguarding champion at Cheshire FA.
“I will work with all the clubs, officials and partners to ensure that safeguarding becomes the culture running through all that we do in grassroots football in Cheshire.
“It is everybody’s responsibility to ensure we have a safe environment for all our children and vulnerable adults to enjoy our sport the thousands of volunteers, coaches and parents that love the game are the lifeblood of providing football in our communities.
“I wish to support and help them thrive. We have many talented people in Cheshire doing wonderful work in the game I will be there to help all I can.”
After Bennell was convicted and sentenced to 34 years in 2018, Gary went on to campaign and encourage others to speak out through his work with the Offside Trust, a charity committed to supporting survivors of abuse and working to make sport safer for children.
Following the work of Gary and other former footballers he described “an avalanche” of lads coming forward about abuse involving Bennell and others nationally.
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