Football still has a long way to go until it becomes a fully welcoming and inclusive space for marginalized members of society such as the LGBTQI + community.
Positive steps have been taken in recent years, including the much talked about Rainbow Laces campaign, but still from the top to the bottom of the pyramid, further progress is needed.
In the upper parts of the men’s game, there is still no openly gay or bi-player, despite the fact that 2.9% of the population identified themselves as LGB between 2018 and 2019. Homophobic language is still a mainstay on the terraces as well.
In the same way, the participation gap is at the grassroots level. LGBTQI + players who are potentially anxious to experience a hostile atmosphere are more likely to lose the game or stay away altogether. Research conducted by Stonewall UK, one of the leading charities in LGBTQI + in Europe, found that 43% of LGBT people think that public sports facilities are not a welcoming environment for them.
Stonewall FC has been fighting the tide of unequal participation since its inception in February 1991. Since one of its founders placed an ad in a gay publication asking for like-minded people who wanted to play football, Stonewall FC has risen to become one of the leading lights in LGBTQI + – sports.
Andrew Slater, the club’s second team manager, summed up the club’s mission in a nice way during a recent 90 – minute interview.
“It’s about providing a safe space for players with all the abilities to be their authentic selves and to encourage everyone to have fun and really promote inclusion in football,” he said.
“As a club, it’s about encouraging LGBTQI + players to get involved, to have a good time playing football and to enjoy the sport they love. It’s about being able to participate in the game without having to worry about being queer and what it can mean in a sporting context. ”
As part of the Adidas football team, Stonewall FC moved to East London in 2019 with its home ground, the London Marathon Community Track, located in Olympic Park. The aim was to make the club more accessible to members of the LGBTQI + community and allies who form a large part of the club’s ethos.
Their first men’s team currently trades in the Middlesex County Premier Division, 11th in the non-league pyramid – just 15 campaigns away from the glory and glamor of top flight – making Stonewall FC the most competitive, openly LGBTQI + club English football levels.
Over the years, they have had plenty of success. Stonewall FC has even dominated the international stage, lifting the IGLFA World Cup on nine separate occasions and has also won numerous Eurogames and Gay Games titles. This makes them the most successful LGBTQI + club in the world.
However, the club is not just about winning. In addition to offering a men’s second team and their newly created Women & Non-Binary team, they also have their Unity Team – a site that competes in the LGBTQI + London Unity League. The club also offers a number of different levels of workouts for anyone interested regardless of their identity or ability, with the first session always free.
The head of the Women & Non-Binary team is manager Betty Mayeya, who said for 90 minutes: “For myself, personally, as a black, queer woman, I think the representation is enormous.
“That was one of the reasons why I wanted to get into coaching. I have played for twenty years, I have never had a black female coach and being myself now opens up opportunities and opportunities for other people to come in. I know some people find it a little more comfortable when they see other people who look like them. ”
Betty also praised how Stonewall FC had embraced and integrated the women and the non-binary players, something that other clubs are still lagging behind.
“I think that just judging by our society, the amount of LGBTQI + people that exist in society compared to in the actual football world, the numbers simply do not make sense. I feel that we are not only creating a safe space but we are visible. We allow people to know that we are here, we exist, and that there are inclusive spaces where people can play football safely, she says.
The club that opens doors for us to have this Women & Non-Binary team is fantastic. Before I started as a manager, I knew many women and non-binary people who have a hard time getting into football sometimes due to lack of space because it is largely taken up by many men’s teams. ”
Stonewall FC’s success in creating an environment where LGBTQI + people can thrive both on and off the pitch is one of the many examples of grassroots clubs doing wonders. The community ethos around the place is palpable and it can not be further from the often cruel, unpleasant world in professional ranks, according to second team striker Dan Goodwin.
“I think many of the problems we face are actually ignored at the elite level. Campaigns like Rainbow Laces and public clubs with support around Pride Month are great to see, but I mean a lot of the hatred is still coming through, especially via social media. Already yesterday, I saw a team put up the LGBT + flags on their Insta, and the messages that come through are just awful, he says.
Betty agreed and claimed that the in-depth attempts to create a European Super League shed more light on the problems of the elite game.
“How the people and fans reacted to the Super League just shows how important it is to start at the grassroots level,” she said.
“Football is for the people, at the end of the day it’s not about the money. It’s about pleasure. It’s a drop for a lot of people, it’s escapism and just having that space here and the fact that Stonewall can create it is absolutely massive. ”
While the problems remain at the top level, the grassroots association’s success in creating a safe space for its members shows that there is reason to be hopeful about the development of LGBTQI + football.
With similar welcoming teams popping up all over London and beyond, the future looks bright.
