AS we head into this month's World Cup, millions of people will be cheering on the English and Welsh teams.

Whether football comes home or not, many of us will be glued to our screens as the tournament plays out in pubs and livings-rooms.

International sporting events like this can play a huge part in bringing people together, but they can have altogether more negative effects too. Over the next four weeks, the NSPCC's Helpline and Childline services are expecting to receive a spike in the number of adults concerned about the safety of a child in a home where domestic abuse is happening, and from children themselves who are experiencing domestic abuse.

During the 2018 World Cup, the number of child welfare contacts delivered about domestic abuse by the NSPCC Helpline supporting adults concerned about the safety of children rose by a third. In that same period, contacts to the Childline service about the same issue rose by 17per cent on the monthly average.

Major sporting events can cause heightened emotional stress, while alcohol and gambling on the outcomes of games can also be potential triggers to incidents of abuse.

A girl who contacted Childline during the last World Cup told us her stepfather drank a lot while watching the matches and said cruel things to her and her sister. She said: "If I reply to his comments, he gets physical, once he threatened to kick me out of the house. I'm sure we'll argue again in the next football game, and I fear what he might do then."

One person who contacted the NSPCC Helpline during the last World Cup told us they were concerned about how their neighbours' children were being treated. They said: "I can hear the couple shouting at the children and at each other almost every day, the situation escalated and the two of them got into a pretty bad fight. I'm so worried for the kids who have to witness all this anger."

We're expecting to receive hundreds more calls like these over the next few weeks. Domestic abuse can have a huge impact on a child's confidence and sense of security. It can have a devastating impact at the time and long into the future. For many children living with domestic abuse, the tournament will bring fear and violence.

We'd encourage anyone reading this to be mindful of what you see or hear throughout the World Cup, and speak out about it. If you have a concern about the wellbeing of a child, contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 8005000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk