Police say the number of clubs impacted by British soccer's sprawling child sex abuse scandal has climbed to 248, with 184 suspects and 526 potential victims.

The National Police Chiefs' Council says 97 percent of the victims are male, with an age range from 4 to 20.

The updated figures, which cover amateur and professional soccer, come two months after former professionals started to reveal historic abuse.

There have been 1,016 referrals to the national police investigation from a charity's dedicated soccer hotline and forces around the country.

Police chief constable Simon Bailey, who works nationally on child protection issues, says "allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse are complex, and often require specialist skills and knowledge, and can take time to progress."