Police overseeing the sex abuse scandal in British soccer say 83 potential suspects have been identified and linked to 98 clubs.

Officers across the country are sifting through 639 referrals received by both police and a helpline established last month when former players started going public to say they were abused by coaches while in youth teams.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said in a statement on Friday that the age range of potential victims was 7 to 20 years old.

The NPCC says 98 clubs have been "impacted" but added that this does not equate to them all being "under investigation."

The NPCC says the unidentified clubs are from across all levels of the English game "from premier clubs through to amateur."