SPORTS coaches will be asked to become a new group of eyes watching out for signs children have been sexually abused.

Tomorrow more than 50 coaches will watch an interactive play on how to spot the signs of abuse, at an event organised by sport and child protection bosses.

“Crossing the Line” by Birmingham’s Geese Theatre Company tells the story of a boy being secretly abused by his coach.

Oxfordshire Sports Partnership has brought the play to Oxfordshire and deputy safeguarding officer Graham Hurst said: “It is an important issue and something which is often overlooked and we want to bring it to the forefront.

“Clubs take it seriously and there is always more you can do.”

Club managers need to spot signs that children are being groomed, such as adults offering children lifts home, he said.

Mr Hurst said: “I think it has always been an issue, but we are more aware of it now than in the past.”

County teams can apply for a club mark scheme to reassure parents of their commitment to protecting children, he added.

Oxfordshire Hockey Association welfare officer Alison Chapman, who has seen the play elsewhere, said: “The messages were thought-provoking. It has made me look carefully at my role.”

Michael Geeson-Brown, county child welfare officer at Oxfordshire Cricket Board, will attend the event.

He said: “It is an original way of providing a message about abuse within the arena of sport.”

Children becoming withdrawn or aggressive could be signs of abuse, he said, adding: “Certain sex offenders see sports clubs as a way in to have access to children.”

Yet he said time-consuming Criminal Records Bureau form-filling can deter some adults from playing a role in clubs.

He said: “Some people see it as red tape. It may put some people off volunteering.”

But clubs are as popular as ever with parents and children he added.

He said: “It has always gone on, but it happens in rare cases.

“What has happened is we have highlighted the risks and are trying to prevent them.”

Theatre company director Louise Hayward said the actors would ask the audience questions after each scene at the performance, at Oxford Brookes University’s Harcourt campus in North Hinksey.

She said: “It explores how it might happen – how it might slip through the net.”

The event has been organised by the publicly-funded partnership and Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board.