It may raise a few eyebrows to hear that gay sport is more popular than ever and surprisingly well-governed. And by gay sport I do mean football, rugby, tennis etc, and not shopping!
Birmingham Blaze FC has recently formed, hosting a weekly kickabout in Birmingham. They recently took part in their first ever 11-a-side match against Leftfooters FC in Regents Park, London. All ages and skill levels are welcome, no experience is required! Training sessions can be as light or strenuous as you want and the social activities are just as important. Participation is number one!
But why do this? Why, when the UK has 40,000 football teams, is there a need for specifically gay teams?
It's an interesting question. However, homophobia is still prevelant in football, if you go to any professional match in the country you are likely to hear homophobic comments. This can be incredibly intimidating for gay men and women who just want to get involved in their favourite sport, without feeling afraid, or having to hide their sexuality. The success of the National Gay League and the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) has been recognised by the FA. Most of the teams play regular matches against "straight" teams, providing further competition for their players and challenging stereotypes along the way. It's not just football either - openly gay Rugby club the Kings Cross Steelers are currently celebrating their 10th anniversary year.
Attention will soon turn to Chicago for the seventh Gay Games. This 4-yearly event promotes sporting involvement at all levels in the gay community, so much so that an amazing 12,000 participants are expected in the Windy City next July. The opening ceremony will be held at the 62,000-capacity Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears. This promises to be quite an ocassion, check out the pictures below from Gay Games VI, in Sydney 2002. Forget London 2012 for now – Chicago 2006 is where it's at! The Leftfooters plan to be there - perhaps some GLOBE members may like to join them?
More information and contact details
(These links are provided for information only. GLOBE is not responsible for, and does not endorse the contents of, external internet sites)
Birmingham Blaze – www.birminghamblaze.co.uk
Leftfooters FC – www.leftfooters.org.uk
Gay Football Supporters Network – www.gfsn.org.uk
GFSN League - www.gfsnleague.org
IGLFA (International Gay & Lesbian Football Association) – www.iglfa.org
Gay Games VII – www.chicago2006.org
Kings Cross Steelers – www.kxsrfc.com/