Everyone working and volunteering in physical activity and sport needs to be aware of the grooming process so that steps can be taken to prevent individuals from being exploited.
Grooming is about control and dominance, the creation of dependence and isolation.
Anyone at any age can be a victim of grooming, and anyone can groom, inside and outside of physical activity and sport.
This could be a coach grooming a child or adult, or a club member grooming another member. Grooming may also entail manipulating the people around them and even the environment.
For the abuser, grooming is a conscious strategy, but the process of grooming could make a child or an adult feel good initially, meaning that they come to trust and even care about the abuser. As a result, the individual is often unaware for too long that their relationship with their abuser is getting gradually unhealthier.
People groom others to manipulate them for their own gain. The result of grooming is abuse and exploitation. This could entail sexual, financial, emotional or physical abuse. Adults, children and young people can also be groomed for radicalisation or criminal exploitation.