Cheshire police's investigation into alleged historical sexual abuse in football has now been joined by three other forces around the UK.

And Crewe Alexandra have said they will launch an independent review of the way it dealt with historical child abuse allegations.

Andy Woodward, who played for Crewe, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe United, revealed last week that he suffered multiple attacks at the hands of scout and coach Barry Bennell while a youngster at Crewe Alexandra.

Now London's Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Police and Northumbria Police have all confirmed they are investigating allegations.

And Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney urged anyone who may have suffered abuse to come forward.

He tweeted: "My colleagues have been very brave. If you’ve experienced sexual abuse in football, please call NSPCC ’s new helpline on 0800 023 2642"

The Metropolitan Police, Britain's biggest force, said it "has received information relating to non-recent sexual abuse in football clubs in London". Scotland Yard did not name any of the clubs involved.

Hampshire Police said its detectives are investigating non-recent child abuse "within the football community".

Northumbria Police said it was investigating an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle United player that he was abused in the club's youth system.

And Cheshire Police said it had received "a growing number of disclosures" and that allegations have been "made against more than one individual".

The national inquiry into child sexual abuse said it was "watching events closely" and opened the door to examining allegations in the growing scandal.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

The Guardian said an unnamed former Newcastle United player had contacted police to make allegations against George Ormond, a coach in the North East who was jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults across a 24-year period.

Newcastle United FC said they would co-operate with authorities "if or when the club receives further information".

Some of the claims have come from the NSPCC which this week set up a dedicated hotline - on 0800 023 2642 - for football-related cases.

The Premier League said it is "very concerned" by allegations and offered its sympathy and support to those who have come forward."

Adding to the concerns about the depth and scale of the scandal are reports in the Daily Telegraph that leading football clubs made secret payments to buy the silence of young players sexually abused by coaches.

The paper states that, according to an unnamed source, a number of clubs, including at least one Premier League team, had paid compensation to footballers but only after victims had signed confidentiality agreements so strict that along with their families and lawyers they are banned from saying publicly if the cases even existed.

Former Manchester City youth team player Jason Dunford claimed the scandal is bigger than the one involving former broadcaster Jimmy Savile.

Mr Dunford, who said he had been staying at a Butlins holiday camp after winning a football competition when he alleges Bennell attempted to touch him in bed, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme: "I believe there was a conspiracy and paedophile ring.

"I think Savile looks like a choirboy compared to this fella.

"There were people at those clubs who had a duty to look after boys coming through their system."

Chris Unsworth, 44, a former Crewe youngster who has also made allegations against Bennell, claimed it was "swept under the carpet".

Ex-England and Manchester City players David White and Paul Stewart and former Crewe Alexandra player Steve Walters have also spoken out about being sexually abused by football coaches as children.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and several junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, sexually abused young boys across three decades from the 1970s onwards.

He was given a four-year sentence for raping a British boy on a football tour of Florida in 1994 and then a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 when he pleaded guilty to abusing a boy at a football camp in Macclesfield in 1980.

Crewe's director of football, Dario Gradi said the club would be carrying out an internal investigation. Manchester City said it was also reviewing Bennell's links with the club.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has been in touch with all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity.</s>The Football Association has appointed an independent legal counsel, Kate Gallafent QC, to assist its review into historical child abuse allegations.

Ms Gallafent will oversee the association’s internal review into claims of sexual abuse made by a growing number of former youth footballers.

The FA suggested a fully-fledged inquiry may follow but the initial review would explore “what information the FA was aware of at the relevant times around the issues that have been raised in the press, what clubs were aware of, and what action was or should have been taken.”

Ms Gallafent will then provide recommendations “to ensure these situations can never be repeated”.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards. He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield.

The Guardian reported that an unnamed former Newcastle United player had also contacted police with allegations against George Ormond, a North East coach jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults spanning 24 years.

A “significant” number of other alleged victims of abuse are likely to come forward and other sporting governing bodies may report similar problems, said Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for child protection.</s>The Football Association (FA) has appointed a senior lawyer to assist with its review into historical child sex abuse allegations.

Kate Gallafent QC will oversee the internal review which has been set up following a string of allegations by former youth footballers.

Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Durham FA has moved quickly to reassure the public of its strict policies to prevent abuse.

The national FA said that a "wide-ranging inquiry may be required in time" but said it was supporting police with their investigations and "must ensure we do not do anything to interfere with or jeopardise the criminal process".

It added: "The internal review will look into what information the FA was aware of at the relevant times around the issues that have been raised in the press, what clubs were aware of, and what action was or should have been taken."

Gallafent will make recommendations "to ensure these situations can never be repeated", the FA said.

The Metropolitan Police and forces in Hampshire, Northumbria and Cheshire said they are investigating abuse allegations.

Some claims came from a dedicated NSPCC hotline - on 0800 023 2642 - commissioned by the FA for football-related cases.

A "significant" number of other alleged victims of abuse are likely to come forward and other sporting governing bodies may report similar problems, Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, has warned.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards. He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield.

Those to have made allegations against Bennell include former Manchester City star David White and youth player Jason Dunford, plus ex-Crewe player Steve Walters and youngster Chris Unsworth.

Former England international Paul Stewart has also spoken out about being sexually abused by a coach as a child.

The Guardian reported that an unnamed former Newcastle United player had also contacted police with allegations against George Ormond, a north- east coach jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults spanning 24 years.

Crewe Alexandra has said it will launch an independent review of the way it dealt with historical child abuse allegations.

A former Crewe board member said the club was told Bennell had sexually abused one of its junior footballers.

Hamilton Smith, who was on the board between 1986 and 1990, told The Guardian he called for a meeting after being told a boy had been abused.

Bennell was allowed to stay on but orders were issued that he should not be left alone with boys, Mr Smith said.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said it was "watching events closely" and opened the door to examining allegations in the growing scandal.

The Premier League said it is "very concerned" by the allegations.

Newcastle United said it would co-operate with authorities "if or when the club receives further information" and Manchester City said it is reviewing Bennell's links with the club.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has contacted all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley urged victims of abuse in sport to contact police, saying "you will be listened to".

She told BBC 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics: "I welcome the FA's announcement that they have just made about employing Kate Gallafent QC to look at this.

"We do need to look at this independently, we do need to make sure that the FA and others who I know take this seriously - I spoke to them last week - get to the bottom of this, understand what happened.

"But to anyone who has been a victim, no matter what sport, no matter what part of life, if you have been a victim of abuse please come forward so we can get that evidence, get that information and we can make sure perpetrators are brought to justice."</s>A large number of alleged victims of child sex abuse in football have yet to break their silence, a senior police chief has predicted, and he believes the scandal could also engulf other British sports.

Simon Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk Constabulary and the National Police Chiefs Council’s lead for child protection, said yesterday that a “significant” number of victims were likely to emerge, and warned that other sports’ governing bodies may start reporting similarly shocking claims.

His comments came as Operation Hydrant, which investigates allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, also attempted to calculate the scale of the alleged abuse.

The national inquiry into child sexual abuse has already contacted all forces in England and Wales asking them to urgently forward details of any allegations they have recently received.

Scotland Yard, Northumberland police, Cheshire police and Hampshire police have launched separate investigations after a string of former footballers came forward following the Guardian revelation that former footballer Andy Woodward, 43, had suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former coach at Crewe Alexandra.

On Saturday the Guardian revealed that Crewe Alexandra had been warned that Bennell had sexually abused one of his junior footballers, but had allowed him to stay at the club for a number of years.

Despite being pressed for a statement, Crewe refused to comment on Saturday, although the club has previously said it would conduct an internal investigation into the allegations.

Elsewhere, the quest to track down further alleged victims of Bennell and other paedophiles in the sport continued. The Football Association has contacted each county FA in England and Wales, asking them to forward any information to a special hotline. England captain Wayne Rooney has also urged anyone who may have been abused to seek help, while former Wales international Robbie Savage, who played for Crewe between 1994 and 1997, speculated that there could be hundreds of victims of sexual abuse in football.

Bailey said: “I suspect that in the next few days and weeks we will see a significant increase in the numbers that are currently reporting allegations of abuse to us.

“We are receiving reports of abuse in all sorts of different institutions. I am not in the least bit surprised that we are now seeing the lid lifted on exploitation within the world of football, and I suspect there will be other sporting governing bodies – again in the next few days and weeks – who will come forward and who will identify the fact that they have similar problems.”

Some of the claims have come from children’s charity the NSPCC, which last week set up a dedicated hotline – 0800 023 2642 – for football-related cases. The Premier League has said it is “very concerned” by the allegations.

On Friday, former players Steve Walters, Chris Unsworth and Jason Dunford spoke about being abused by Bennell in an emotional interview on Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC programme.

Former Manchester City youth team player Dunford said the scandal was bigger than the Jimmy Savile revelations. Police have put the total number of Savile’s possible victims at 589.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards. He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998. Bennell was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield.</s>The Football Association has set up an internal review into what Crewe and Manchester City knew about Barry Bennell and allegations of child sexual abuse in football. The governing body will also investigate what information it was aware of at the time of the alleged offences.

Four players have so far made public allegations against the former Crewe Alexandra youth coach Bennell, who was also involved with Manchester City and Stoke, including Andy Woodward whose account in The Guardian has prompted a string of other footballers to come forward with claims.

The FA has instructed Kate Gallafent QC to assist it with its review into the abuse cases. It has said the internal review will look into what information the body was aware of at the relevant times around the issues, what clubs were aware of, and what action was or should have been taken. It suggested a fully-fledged inquiry may follow.

Gallafent will also make recommendations in order to seek to ensure these situations can never be repeated.

“At this time, with acknowledgement that a wide-ranging inquiry may be required in time, we are working closely with the police to support their lead investigations and must ensure we do not do anything to interfere with or jeopardise the criminal process,” said the FA.

The development comes a day after Crewe announced it will launch its own independent investigation into how it has dealt with the allegations concerning Bennell.

A statement released by Crewe on Saturday, 10 days after the Guardian first published Woodward’s testimony, said they were “determined a thorough investigation” should be launched at the earliest opportunity. It added that the Cheshire club “believes an independent review, to be conducted via the appointment of external legal counsel, is the correct way forward in the circumstances”.</s>Growing reports of child sex abuse in football stretching back decades could spread to other sports, police have warned.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, said a “significant” number of victims are likely to come forward following claims of assaults by coaches.

"I suspect that in the next few days and weeks that we will see a significant increase in the numbers that are currently reporting allegations of abuse to us,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

"We, as a country, are now having to deal with the legacy of non-recent sexual abuse and the thousands of allegations that we are now seeing across the country.

"We are receiving reports of abuse in all sorts of different institutions. I am not in the least bit surprised that we are now seeing the lid lifted on exploitation within the world of football and I suspect there will be other sporting governing bodies - again in the next few days and weeks - who will come forward and who will identify the fact that they have similar problems.”

Former Manchester City youth player Jason Dunford claimed the scandal was bigger than the Jimmy Savile revelations as reports continued to grow on Friday.

Four police forces are now investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse in football, with a national inquiry “watching events closely” as England captain Wayne Rooney urged anyone who may have been assaulted to seek help.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Ex-England and Manchester City players David White and Paul Stewart and former Crewe player Steve Walters have also spoken out about being sexually abused by football coaches as children.

Mr Bailey said he hoped people would have the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that the response by police officers and society could be “very different” than in previous decades.

The Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Police and Cheshire police are investigating allegations of abuse in the football community, while Northumbria Police is handling an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle United player that he was abused in the club's youth system.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by prominent figures, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has been in touch with all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity.

The NSPCC has set up a dedicated helpline - on 0800 023 2642 - for football-related cases.</s>The scandal surrounding allegations of historical child sex abuse in football could spread to other sports, a senior police officer has warned.



A significant number of other alleged victims of abuse are likely to come forward and further sporting governing bodies may report similar problems, Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, said.

Four police forces are now investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse in football.

The national inquiry into child sexual abuse said it was “watching events closely” and opened the door to examining allegations in the growing scandal as the England captain, Wayne Rooney, urged anyone who may have been assaulted to seek help.

A string of former footballers have come forward since Andy Woodward became the first to speak out last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted child abuser Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach.

Bailey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it’s probably a little bit too early to speculate but I suspect that in the next few days and weeks that we will see a significant increase in the numbers that are currently reporting allegations of abuse to us.”

The Norfolk chief constable added: “We, as a country, are now having to deal with the legacy of non-recent sexual abuse and the thousands of allegations that we are now seeing across the country.

“We are receiving reports of abuse in all sorts of different institutions. I am not in the least bit surprised that we are now seeing the lid lifted on exploitation within the world of football and I suspect there will be other sporting governing bodies – again in the next few days and weeks – who will come forward and who will identify the fact that they have similar problems.

“I just think that we have more and more victims, thankfully, who are having the confidence to come forward knowing the police service’s response and society’s response to their abuse is now very different.”

The Metropolitan police, Hampshire police and Cheshire police have all said they are investigating allegations of abuse in the football community.

Northumbria police said it was investigating an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle United player that he was abused in the club’s youth system.

The Guardian revealed earlier that an unnamed former Newcastle United player had contacted police to make allegations against George Ormond, a coach in the north-east who was jailed for six years in 2002 for carrying out numerous assaults across a 24-year period.

Newcastle United said it would co-operate with authorities “if or when the club receives further information”.

Some of the claims have come from the NSPCC, which this week set up a dedicated hotline – on 0800 023 2642 – for football-related cases.

The Premier League said it was “very concerned” by the allegations.

A former Crewe board member also told the Guardian that the club had been told Bennell had sexually abused one of its junior footballers. Hamilton Smith, who was on the board between 1986 and 1990, said he called for a meeting after being told a boy had been abused.

Bennell was allowed to stay on but orders were issued that he should not be left alone with boys, Smith said.

He added: “This was discussed at the club’s top level and, as much as I tried to resolve this, regrettably I couldn’t. I dread to think how many victims there are, and my heart goes out to them.”

Former Manchester City youth team player Jason Dunford claimed on Friday the scandal was bigger than the Jimmy Savile revelations.

Chris Unsworth, 44, a former Crewe youngster who has also made allegations against Bennell, claimed it was “swept under the carpet”.

Ex-England and Manchester City players David White and Paul Stewart and former Crewe player Steve Walters have also spoken out about being sexually abused by football coaches as children.

Bennell, who worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and junior teams in north-west England and the Midlands, abused young boys from the 1970s onwards.

He was jailed for four years for raping a British boy on a 1994 football tour of Florida, and given a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 after admitting abusing a boy at a 1980 football camp in Macclesfield.

Crewe said it would conduct an internal investigation and Manchester City is also reviewing Bennell’s links with the club.

Operation Hydrant, which oversees the investigation of allegations of historical child sex abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence, is trying to pinpoint the scale of the alleged abuse.

It has been in touch with all forces in England and Wales asking them to forward details of the allegations they have received following the recent publicity.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Steve Walters: 'I was inconsolable'

Four police forces say they are now investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse within football.

Hampshire Police said it was looking into claims of "non-recent child abuse within the football community".

Cheshire Police said allegations had been made against more than one person while the Northumbria and Metropolitan forces have also opened investigations.

It comes as four ex-footballers spoke out about being abused as children by ex-Crewe Alexandra coach Barry Bennell.

Andy Woodward, who was the first to go public last week, wept as Steve Walters, Chris Unsworth and Jason Dunford spoke about their abuse by Bennell in an emotional interview on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.

Bennell, 62, has served three jail sentences for child sex offences.

Watch Victoria Derbyshire interview in full

Four ex-footballers speak of abuse

Abuse claims: What has happened so far?

Who is football coach Barry Bennell?

Former manager Warnock praises 'brave' Woodward

A dedicated NSPCC hotline - 0800 023 2642 - was set up after the abuse claims came to light and has received more than 100 calls.

Cheshire Police said it had received a "growing number of disclosures" which included referrals from the children's charity, and that allegations had been made "against more than one individual".

Image caption Victoria spoke to (L-R) Jason Dunford, Steve Walters, Chris Unsworth and Andy Woodward

The Premier League said it was concerned by the allegations and urged those with information to come forward.

MP Damian Collins, the chairman of the culture, media and sport committee, told the BBC he wants to hear from the Football Association.

He said: "The FA need to look back to see were mistakes made in the past. Were clues overlooked? Was not enough done to investigate a problem that they may have been perceived?"

Mr Unsworth and Mr Dunford waived their anonymity to speak out for the first time on Friday.

Mr Unsworth, 44, said he "thought he had to come forward... and help everybody", after his girlfriend showed him an interview on the Victoria Derbyshire programme with ex-Crewe player Mr Woodward, 43.

He had been a youth player at Manchester City with Bennell before moving to Crewe with him when he was about 12 in the mid-1980s.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Chris Unsworth on how the abuse started.

Mr Unsworth said he had stayed at Bennell's house several times and the coach sometimes had two or three boys in the bed at once, where he would abuse them.

"We never spoke to each other about it," Mr Unsworth said. "I was raped between 50 and 100 times."

Mr Dunford said he had been staying at a Butlins holiday camp after winning a football competition, when Bennell attempted to touch him in bed.

He later moved to different boys' football teams and said at one point another coach also attempted to abuse him.

Mr Dunford has now given a report to the police.

Neither player turned professional, in part because they felt Bennell drove them away from the game.

Image caption Jason Dunford said another coach also tried to abuse him

Bennell, who also worked as a youth football scout, was jailed in 1998 for nine years and also served a four-year sentence in the United States.

In 2015, he was given a two-year term for sexually abusing a boy at a training camp in Macclesfield, but is now out of prison.

Cheshire Police said 11 people had come forward since Mr Woodward spoke out, including fellow ex-Crewe player Steve Walters, 44, who said he had been abused by Bennell, when he was 13 or 14, during a trip to Anglesey.

He told Victoria Derbyshire: "I want justice now. The whole of football just needs ripping apart and this can never, ever happen to any young footballer again."

Image caption Barry Bennell has served three jail sentences for child sex offences

In other developments:

Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, which represents players, said the PFA and the FA had been aware of rumours of abuse but there had been "no cover-up"

Karen Bradley, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said she had spoken to the FA and PFA to offer government support and ensure they were working with police and other agencies

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said it was monitoring the allegations and its "terms of reference are broad enough to include failures by sports clubs"

PFA Scotland's chief executive Fraser Wishart said it would be "naive to think" the allegations were unique to one part of the UK and urged players of all levels to report any claims of abuse

Thames Valley Police said officers had attended a house in Milton Keynes on Thursday to recover a dog and other property in response to a safeguarding concern. The property is Bennell's. The force said it was not investigating any offences connected to the incident

In 2001, the FA put in place new rules to protect children, requiring adult and junior teams at all levels to have a trained safeguarding or welfare officer.

Some critics say the regulations rely too much on children being able to report abuse.

The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.

Does your child play football? What is your experience of your club? How do they protect children? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your comments.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:</s>Manchester City have opened an investigation into paedophile coach Barry Bennell’s links with club following the recent abuse revelations.

Police have been re-investigating convicted paedophile Bennell after ex-footballer Andy Woodward waived his anonymity from an earlier trial to tell The Guardian last week about his abuse by Bennell in the 1980s while he was at Crewe.

Steve Walters, Paul Stewart, who spoke exclusively to the Mirror, and David White have also come forward to say they were abused as children.

A club statement, reported by The Mirror , read: “The club is aware of allegations that Barry Bennell had an association with Manchester City Football Club in the 1980s.

“As a result the club is undertaking a thorough investigation of any past links he might have had with the organisation.”

Ex-youth coach Bennell worked for Crewe, Manchester City, Stoke and a number of junior clubs in the area in a scouting capacity, prior to the first of his three convictions for abuse.

Whilst working in the US, Bennell was convicted of of raping a British boy at a football camp in Florida in 1994 and deported to the UK.

Upon his return to the country, he was sentenced to nine years in 1998 after admitting abusing boys aged nine to 14 during the 70s, 80s and early 90s.

Last year, Bennell was again jailed for two years after admitting abusing a young boy in the 1980s.

Now 62, he is currently on parole - but it is understood he has again recently been interviewed by police.

City has previously confirmed that Bennell had been connected to them in the past - but they severed any links as soon as abuse allegations against began him surface.

Now 62, he is out of prison on licence.

The announcement by the club comes after more footballers have come forward to break the silence over their historic abuse.

Two ex-Crewe players, Andy Woodward and Steve Walters, have waived their right to anonymity to come forward and report they were sexually abused by Bennell.

Another, ex-England international David White, has detailed how he was abused by Bennell while with Whitehall FC junior team, based in Manchester.

Former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Paul Stewart has also gone public, to say he was abused as a boy by a different coach.

Cheshire Police said on Wednesday that 11 new people had come forward since Andy Woodward went public about the man who had abused him for several years from the age of 11.

Woodward - and fellow former players - have been praised for waiving their right to anonymity in order to encourage others to come forward.</s>Crewe Alexandra’s director of football and former manager Dario Gradi has issued a statement to express sympathy for the victims of the serial paedophile Barry Bennell, who abused players at the club.

Gradi, who was manager of Crewe from 1983 until 2007, also said no one at the club was aware of Bennell’s crimes until Bennell was arrested in the US in 1994.

Two former Crewe players, Andy Woodward and Steve Walters, have waived their right to anonymity to tell the Guardian of the abuse they suffered at the hands of Bennell while with the club in the 1980s.

The former England international David White has said that he was abused by Bennell while with the Whitehill FC Junior team based in Manchester. Bennell worked in junior and professional football for more than three decades.

“I would like to express sympathy to the victims of Barry Bennell not only at Crewe Alexandra, but at other clubs in the north-west,” Gradi said.

“The first I knew of Barry Bennell’s crimes was when he was arrested in the United States in 1994. I knew nothing of his crimes before this time when he was employed by us. No one at the football club knew of Bennell’s crimes until his arrest in 1994 and his subsequent prosecution in the United Kingdom.

“The football club also cooperated fully with the authorities in 2003. The club are in the process of a review and I won’t be making any further comment until this is finalised.”

Bennell was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1998 after admitting 23 specimen charges of sexual offences against six boys aged nine to 15, with another 22 offences left on file. He previously served a four-year sentence in Florida for offences against a boy on a football tour and was jailed for two years in May 2015 for molesting a 12-year-old in Macclesfield in 1980.
Four police forces in England say they are actively investigating allegations of child sexual abuse in association football. Several ex-players have gone public with allegations against former Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City coach Barry Bennell.