Officers go head-to-head in charity football match to tackle child abuse

The N.S.K Dons will face off this Sunday (May 23) at 5pm against the Sunday Night Legends at Sleaford Town FC’s ground, Eslaforde Park, on Boston Road, in the hopes of winning the newly adopted Offside Trust Cup Final.

The N.S.K Dons was recently formed by a group of local officers as a way to keep fit and have fun. They are an inclusive group for all ages, genders and sizes and the team’s name, N.S.K, stands for North South Kesteven, referring to the members’ policing patch, while Dons is short for doughnuts - the age-old cliché food for cops.

Their opposing team, the Sunday Night Legends, is also a work-based football team from the Lincoln policing patch. This team has been established for some time and has helped to raise money for a variety of charities.

The charity match was inspired by the three-part BBC documentary ‘Footballs Darkest Secret’ about the child sexual abuse of young boys within football teams and academics in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

The purpose of the event is to help fundraise as well as raise the profile of the Offside Trust, an organisation which was set up by survivors of child sexual abuse in the aftermath of coming forward and waiving their rights to anonymity to stop child abuse in sport.

The organisation also works to raise the profile of the issue, ensure survivors are supported and to hold teams, clubs and governing bodies such as the Football Association to account when they fail to act or implement change.

Sergeant Jonathan Smyth said: “As police officers, safeguarding and protecting children from harm, especially sexual harm, is at the very heart of our work, I feel it’s personal to many of us.

“Also, as the father of two young footballing boys, I want to make sure that my kids, your kids and all kids everywhere are safe to play the sports they love without fear of harm, or the risk of suffering abuse which would no doubt leave a terrible and detrimental impact for the rest of their lives.

“Listening to the accounts of the survivors left me full of grief, hurt and anguish and I want to show them all that we care deeply about tackling child sexual abuse, that survivors are not alone in their struggles to cope and that we stand with them in solidarity to eradicate the most appalling abuses of position and trust that is every parent’s worst nightmare frankly.

“I’d like to give thanks to everyone at Sleaford Town FC for allowing us to use the grounds to host the event and to everyone who has already donated and supported the cause.”

All proceeds from the match will be going to the organisation to help aid their work and stop abuse in sport. Both teams have raised over £3,000, tripling their original target of £1,000.

Special guests Assistant Chief Constable Chris Davison and Offside Trust ambassadors Alan Arber and Chris Knowles will be in attendance during the charity match.

For more information on the event visit: https://twitter.com/NSK_Dons or https://twitter.com/LegendsSunday

For information on fundraising visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/theoffsidetrustcup