Child Safeguarding in Sports Clubs: What Every Parent Should Know

Safeguarding in Sport: Why It Matters

Sports clubs, martial arts academies, swimming clubs, dance studios, and other children�s activity providers are environments where children spend significant time, often in close physical proximity to adult coaches and instructors who hold positions of authority and trust. In the vast majority of cases, these adults are excellent practitioners who provide young people with valuable skills, confidence, and lifelong positive memories. However, sport has historically been an environment where abuse has also occurred, and where safeguarding standards have sometimes lagged behind those in other settings such as schools.

High-profile cases of abuse in elite sport have prompted significant attention to safeguarding standards in sporting organisations, and most governing bodies now have policies and requirements in place. But parents should not assume that the existence of policies means that safeguarding is always implemented well at the club level. Knowing what good safeguarding practice looks like, and being alert to warning signs of poor practice, is an important part of responsible parenting for any child involved in organised sport or activities.

What Good Safeguarding Practice Looks Like

When evaluating a sports club or activity provider, look for the following indicators of good safeguarding practice:

• DBS checks or equivalent: In countries with criminal record check systems (the Disclosure and Barring Service in the UK, Working with Children checks in Australia, or equivalent), all coaches and volunteers with regular unsupervised contact with children should have current, appropriate checks. Ask whether coaches are checked and do not be embarrassed to do so.
• A designated safeguarding officer: The club should have a named person responsible for safeguarding, with the knowledge and authority to respond to concerns and report them appropriately.
• A visible safeguarding policy: The club should have a written safeguarding or child protection policy that is available to parents, and that staff are familiar with.
• Safe recruitment practices: References should be checked for new coaches and volunteers, not just criminal records.
• Code of conduct for coaches: There should be clear guidelines about appropriate and inappropriate behaviour between coaches and children.
• Open environments: Training should take place in open, visible spaces rather than behind closed doors. Changing room supervision should be by appropriate adults and monitored.
• Clear reporting routes: Parents and children should know how to raise a concern.

Appropriate and Inappropriate Behaviour by Coaches

One of the most important things parents can understand is the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate coach behaviour. Some physical contact is normal in sport: a coach correcting a swimming stroke, spotting a gymnast, or demonstrating grip in a martial art involves necessary physical contact. This contact should be:

• Task-related and necessary
• Done openly and with the awareness of others present
• The same regardless of who is watching
• Something the child is comfortable with and understands the purpose of

Inappropriate behaviour by coaches includes: seeking one-to-one contact with children outside the normal sporting context, giving individual children special gifts or privileges, contacting children directly through personal rather than club channels, taking photographs or videos of children without appropriate consent, excessive physical contact beyond what is required for the sport, and requesting secrecy about anything in the relationship between coach and child.

Warning Signs That a Club�s Safeguarding May Be Poor

• Reluctance or evasiveness when asked about DBS checks or safeguarding policies
• No visible safeguarding officer or unclear reporting routes
• One-to-one sessions happening routinely without any observation
• Coaches contacting children directly on social media or messaging apps, particularly through personal accounts
• A culture where questioning the coach�s behaviour is actively discouraged
• Children seeming uncomfortable around a specific adult but this not being taken seriously
• Physical contact that seems excessive or unnecessary for the sport

Talking to Your Child About Their Sport Experience

Make a habit of asking your child about their sports experience in a way that opens conversations rather than just checking for problems. Ask what they enjoy, what they find hard, how they get on with their coach, and whether there is anything about training that makes them uncomfortable. This normalises the discussion of their relationship with coaches as something you are interested in and creates the opening for them to raise anything concerning.

Be alert to changes in your child�s attitude toward the sport or a specific coach. A child who loved their sport and is suddenly reluctant, or who becomes secretive about interactions at training, warrants a careful, non-alarming conversation.

How to Raise a Safeguarding Concern

If you have a concern about a specific coach�s behaviour or about safeguarding practices in a club, the appropriate steps are:

• If the concern is about a specific adult�s behaviour toward a child, do not confront the individual directly or inform them of your concerns, as this can compromise any subsequent investigation.
• Report to the club�s designated safeguarding officer unless the concern involves that person, in which case go directly to the national governing body of the sport or to children�s services.
• In England and Wales, you can also report concerns to the Child Protection in Sport Unit. Equivalent bodies exist in other countries.
• If a child is at immediate risk, call the emergency services.

Raising a safeguarding concern is always the right action if you have genuine cause for concern. The consequences of not raising a concern if abuse is occurring are far more serious than the discomfort of raising one that turns out to be unfounded.