We are spearheading the role of football in a national campaign to educate and empower young men to navigate the internet responsibly.

We are supporting the ‘Steering Clear’ campaign, which is jointly led by the Government, Marie Collins Foundation – a charity that supports child victims of online abuse and their families – and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).

We are the first organisation within football to back the campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of the law that viewing, taking, making and sharing sexual images and videos of anyone under 18 is illegal, even if the person featured looks older.

If indecent content involving under-18s is stumbled across, young men are encouraged to do the right thing by reporting it anonymously to the Internet Watch Foundation at https://report.iwf.org.uk/en so the image or video can be removed swiftly, which can lead to safeguarding the victim featured.

Professor Tink Palmer MBE, CEO of Marie Collins Foundation, said: “We are delighted that Cheshire FA is taking a leading role within football to highlight this campaign and to raise awareness of the law and the opportunity we all have to make a difference in reducing indecent material of children online.

“We have been extremely impressed with how seriously Cheshire FA is taking safeguarding and its role in educating and protecting children and young people, especially in the light of its influential position with young men.

“By supporting the campaign via social media and by using our materials to educate its welfare officers and managers it is helping not only to protect the young men with whom it comes into contact but also to reduce harm to victims.”

Prof Palmer said: “The impact on survivors of their image being shared online is immense; its effects run deep and can last a lifetime. We all have a role to play in preventing the creation of these images and reducing their proliferation on the internet through education and raising awareness.”

For more information visit: https://stoponlinechildsexualabuse.campaign.gov.uk/