Former footballer Andy Woodward’s harrowing account of the sexual abuse he suffered from coach Barry Bennell in the 1980s has led to six new people coming forward to the police, it emerged yesterday.
Cheshire police are speaking to former players who have contacted them since Mr Woodward waived his anonymity to tell the Guardian he had been targeted for several years at Crewe Alexandra, from the age of 11, when Bennell was one of the youth-team coaches.
Mr Woodward, now 43, said he had been raped hundreds of times and spoke of his belief that many other players had suffered in silence because of a man who described himself in legal proceedings as a “monster” but once had a reputation for being one of the outstanding coaches and talent-spotters in the sport.
Two players have independently told the Guardian of another person within the football world who they say abused them.
Meanwhile, Crewe Alexandra has broken its silence amid growing criticism of the way the club was handling the fallout from Woodward’s interview.
John Bowler, the club’s chairman since 1987 and a director from 1980, said it was unfair to think the club was not taking the issue seriously enough. He said the club’s nine-man board of directors would hold specially-convened talks.
Out of the blue
Dario Gradi, the club’s director of football and long-serving former manager, had earlier said that the directors and staff had been placed under instructions to “keep out of it” but, five days after Mr Woodward’s interview was published, Mr Bowler insisted Crewe did not warrant criticism for its lack of response.
“All this came out of the blue,” Mr Bowler said. “When things come out of the blue you want to make some inquiries from within. We are now looking at it from within and considering what our actions should be going forward.
“We are a proud club and when allegations are made that we didn’t take it seriously we want to reflect. I will be meeting with the directors to review the situation.
Current climate
“I’m the chairman but we have a board of very dedicated people who are at the heart of what Crewe Alexandra are about. We don’t take lightly – and I don’t mean that aggressively – any of these comments. We are not belittling anything.
“I’m not asking you to be kind but please don’t be too unkind because we really are taking it seriously and looking at the whole issue. We are talking about something 30 years ago, and a lot has changed in that time, but we must look at the current climate and, if we are to make changes, not just at Crewe but in football.”
Bennell was imprisoned for nine years in 1998 after admitting 23 specimen charges against six boys, aged nine to 15, with another 22 offences allowed to lie on file.
The hearing at Chester crown court was told one offence took place on one of Crewe’s training pitches. Another was said to have happened at Mr Gradi’s house, though the court was told the then manager did not know about it.
Bennell was jailed for two years in May 2015 for another historic offence, involving a 12-year-old boy on a football course in Macclesfield, and has also served a four-year sentence in Florida after the buggery and indecent assault of a 13-year-old British boy on a football tour.
The Football Association is setting up a helpline for potential victims.
