Shropshire Star

Steve Walters: There are people like Bennell still out there

As a youth, Steve Walters was abused by football coach Barry Bennell. He is now working to help others victims get the support they need.

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Steve Walters, front, in his days with Morecambe

Steve Walters was a talented footballer who went on to enjoy a career in the Football League and non-league football.

But Walters, who lives in the village of Ponciau, close to the Welsh border with Shropshire, always had a part of his past that he kept hidden.

That was until November 2016, when he and a host of other former professionals came forward to speak of their torment at the hands of serial football paedophile Barry Bennell.

Walters, alongside other former footballers Andy Woodward and Chris Unsworth told their stories, about the sustained abuse that they suffered at the hands of Bennell, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in February for 50 counts of sexual abuse.

Abuser Barry Bennell

Walters, along with Unsworth, have now set up The Offside Trust, which aims to support other survivors of abuse and make sure proper safeguarding measures are met at grassroots level.

Despite the end of the trial and Bennell set to spend the rest of his days behind bars, the child sexual abuse that has been rife in British sport is certainly not over.

Since the trial, the reports of sexual abuse have gone up by 25 per cent, and survivors are still coming forward to the trust.

Walters, now 46, believes there could be survivors in the North East Wales and Shropshire regions who are yet to come forward.

He also believes that there are still predator coaches in football, and he has urged any former survivors in the region to come forward to the trust.

'A massive burden'

Walters said: “I think there is are still survivors in this region, and around the country who have yet to come forward.

“After the trial, reports went up by 25 per cent, and we have had people come forward to the trust, and people come forward to myself.

“It is a massive burden for anyone to carry around with them, it affects your family and your life in general.

“There are still people like Bennell about, and internet grooming has changed, and it is almost easier for them.

“If there are any survivors out there in the North East Wales and Shropshire area, I would urge them to come forward. Come forward to the trust and we can help talk through options and available support.”

The guilty verdicts delivered in Liverpool Crown Court last month brought to an end years of torment for Walters and his former team mates.

Scrutiny

He has insisted the moment the verdict was delivered he had a feeling of relief, and a speech he gave outside the court was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do.

He said: “When I came out it wasn’t really a weight off my shoulders. In a way I underestimated what would happen.

“You are in the spotlight, you have the media spotlight on you and you come under scrutiny.

“But when the verdict was delivered after the trial it was relief. We all knew we had strong cases and were confident, but it was just relief when we actually heard it.

“It was then we knew we would never have to face him again.”

Walters suffered the abuse in his time at Crewe Alexandra, where Bennell was a coach. He went on to play 180 times for the club.

He then enjoyed a career in non-league, winning trophies during a two year spell with Rhyl at the end of his career in the Welsh Premier League, and still has friends involved with The New Saints in Oswestry.

Now in his life after football, Walters and the trust are doing tremendous work to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

He is currently in discussions with the Football Association, and the trust has supported 100 survivors of sexual abuse.

However he says the abuse is not just confined to football.

He added: “It is certainly not just football, we’ve had cases in boxing, rugby, cricket, rugby league, and a few cases of abuse in women’s football.

“One good thing to come out of this is The Offside Trust, and how we are trying to make sure this happens to nobody else.”

In the aftermath of the Bennell trial, the investigations into sexual abuse in football are set to continue. An inquiry from the FA is under way, and another probe is looking into who knew the abuse was going on at Crewe Alexandra.

*Visit The Offside trust at offsidetrust.com

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