Steve Walters has done more than almost anyone to ensure the protection of children in football is not just a "box-ticking exercise".
The Wrexham based former professional was one of the many victims of the notorious paedophile coach Barry Bennell.
Originally from Plymouth, Walters joined Crewe Alexandra's academy in the late 1980s as a teenager on what should have been the start of a long career in the professional game.
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But his treatment at the hands of the disgraced Bennell ruined his dreams and saw him ply his trade in non-league, including for a time at Rhyl FC.
He told North Wales Live: "It ruined my career, it affected me quite badly. I went off the rails and I had to leave Crewe Alexandra, I then joined non league Northwich Victoria who were in the Conference in those days.
"It was a big step down from playing professionally, but it was something that I felt I had to do to survive. I went on to enjoy some good times at Northwich, Stevenage and Morecambe but it was a big step down from playing professionally."
Bennell was finally called to account for some of his crimes in 2018.
He was branded "sheer evil" by the judge who sentenced him to 30 years in prison for abusing 12 former players during his time as a youth coach at Manchester City and Crewe.
When Steve and other survivors like Andy Woodward broke their silence in 2016 the issue of safeguarding moved to the top of the footballing agenda.
A lot of credit for that change in mindset can be credited not just to the bravery of Steve but also to the work that both he along with Andy Woodward and Chris Unsworth, put in when they set up their charity The Offside Trust that same year.
Their aim was and is to support survivors of sexual abuse and their families and to safeguard sport across all levels from grassroots right up to professional level.
Steve can right take pride at some of the preventative measures which have now been put in place to make life harder for abusers.
He added: "We can be very proud of what we've done. We've helped with a storyline on Hollyoaks which won several awards and obviously the BBC documentary last year (Football's Darkest Secret).
"It makes me proud that when I go into football clubs now I can see that safeguarding is taken seriously now. Before many of us shared our experiences and revelations no one really took it seriously. Safeguarding has improved twenty-fold, it just used to be a tick box exercise.
"The FA for example used to have one or two members of staff concentrating on safeguarding whereas now there's more like 12 or 13. It's made the sport a much safer place and for me that's hugely important."
In Wales every club, from the bottom to the top of the football pyramid has to have at least one safeguarding officer.
"It fills me with pride when I see the preventative measures in place now compared to say 10 or 20 years ago," he said.
And despite the disappointment of not making it as a professional, Steve recalled his two year spell at Rhyl FC towards the end of his career with genuine warmness.
"I loved it there, we smashed a load of records- we won four or five trophies in one season and we beat Swansea City in the FAW Premier Cup when Lee Trundle and Roberto Martinez were playing for them. Great times and I hope the club can get back to where they were."
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For more information about The Offside Trust click here
