• Police report that detectives are looking at alleged attacks on 429 people • Figures show that 155 ‘potential suspects’ have been identified

Police investigating allegations of sexual abuse in football say victims may have been as young as four years old and that detectives are examining possible attacks on 429 people.

The figures released on Wednesday by police chiefs show that 155 potential suspects have been identified and that 148 clubs, at all levels of the game, have been affected, from the Premier League to amateur clubs.

The allegations being investigated by police span over five decades, from the 1960s to 2000s, and involve 20 police forces.

The complaints to police came after Guardian revelations about child sexual abuse in the national game. The level of allegations and the range of clubs affected make this one of the biggest scandals in modern football. It also adds to the workload facing police tackling a rising tide of reporting of historical sexual abuse.

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The latest figures came from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which said some claims relate to other sports but that the vast majority relate to football.

A national sexual abuse investigation called Operation Hydrant is co-ordinating, avoiding duplication and ensuring that information about potential offenders and victims is shared across the 43 forces in England and Wales.

Police say they have received a total of 819 referrals, with 605 coming from a special hotline set up by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and 214 from police forces.

Some of those relate to witnesses, not victims, and some had already been received by police from other people calling in. Police said 98% of the victims were male and added: “The age range for potential victims at the time of the abuse spans four years through to 20 years.”

The NPCC lead for child protection, chief constable Simon Bailey, said: “We are ensuring an efficient and effective service-wide approach to investigating allegations, removing the potential for duplication and enabling the timely and effective sharing of intelligence and information between forces. We are also liaising closely with the Football Association to ensure all relevant information they hold is shared to inform investigations moving forward.

“We continue to urge anyone who may have been a victim of child sexual abuse to report it by dialling 101, or contacting the dedicated NSPCC helpline, regardless of how long ago the abuse may have taken place.

“We will listen and treat all reports sensitively and seriously. Anyone with any information regarding child sexual abuse is also urged to come forward.

“When allegations are reported it enables police to assess whether there are current safeguarding risks and ensure that appropriate action is being taken to prevent children being abused today.

“As the number of calls being received across the service is higher than usual, it may take longer than normal for an officer from a local force to make contact to follow up from the initial call. Please be assured that the information provided will be taken seriously and acted upon.”

Police say the figures are indicative and could change.

The scale of the scandal, with the number of victims coming forward in a single month, may mean more support such as counselling needs to be offered.

Keith Best, the chief executive of SurvivorsUK, the country’s biggest male rape and sexual abuse charity, has called on the football’s governing bodies and clubs to more support available to those whose lives were blighted by the attacks suffered in their youth.

Best said: “Some [victims] will have been able to deal with this in their own way and may not need intensive help.

“[But] for others they are still affected years after the event – their confidence in forming relationships, questions about their sexuality, post-traumatic stress disorder and problems at work and home can all manifest themselves without appropriate counselling and emotional support.”

Best added: “This is an investment not only in those to whom a duty of care was owed but also in society. The cost of a failure to react positively to the individuals and to society as a whole is enormous, disproportionately more than a course of therapy.”

The sex abuse scandal in football has led to parallels with the Jimmy Savile scandal. In both, media revelations about abuse hidden for decades burst damns which led to hundreds of victims coming forward and being identified. Those affected kept silent, in part because they feared they would not be believed.

Several former footballers have now come forward to tell of the attacks they suffered as youngsters. The scandal started with the former player Andy Woodward waiving his anonymity in an interview with the Guardian last month.