Sex offending in sports: A whole new ball game?

Abstract

The purpose of my address today is to tell you a little about the policy and prevention work that has developed in the UK in recent years and to explore some of the possible benefits that can be shared between the sport and treatment communities as a result of sex offending research and analysis in sports. Questions of interest today include: Why has sex offending in sports only just arrived on the policy agenda? What, if anything, does research in sports have to offer those of you working in ‘mainstream’ research and treatment work? Are offences in sports characterized by exactly the same dynamics as those in any other settings or is sex offending in sports really a whole new ball game? And what is being done, and can be done, to bring sport organizations and programs into the treatment and prevention fold?