Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:36 pm on 16 May 2017.
First Minister, grass-roots training in football is so often crucial to future development of young players to a more professional level. Currently, however, three of our four Welsh police forces are now investigating allegations of historic child sexual abuse at this level, with the Football Association chairman, Greg Clarke, calling this the biggest crisis in football. First Minister, in north Wales, there are several accusations of an historical nature that it is felt must be investigated. Steve Walters of the Offside Trust, and, indeed, one of my own constituents, PC Mike Smith, both of whom have suffered, are leading calls for the Football Association of Wales to launch a full inquiry into this matter. Will you work with your Cabinet Secretary to support those calls and, in doing so, provide an environment where children seeking to fulfil their ambitions in the sport, to a more professional level, are able to do so safely?