From Russia with love!

3 November 2009

Not for the first time, Village FC has gone global! Alexey Shunaev from popular Russian newspaper Metro News contacted the club to find out about our club and how we are getting on....

by Alexey Shunaev

And thanks to Dave Clifford, the club's very own resident linguist, we've translated the entire article for you. The paper was distributed in Moscow and St Petersburg last week and the article sat alongside the Champions League match report from Manchester United's fixture with CSKA Moscow! Unfortunately some of the interview was lost in translation so I can confirm the use of Simon Ramsden's picture in the printed version of the paper alongside Dimitar Berbatov with caption 'Villages best player' was wildly exaggerated!

If you're a clever clogs like Dave, you can also click on the link below to read the online version.

ARTICLE TRANSLATION

Village sings the praises of Manchester

An amateur Muslim football team refused to play Paris Gay FC, whose players are of a non-traditional sexual orientation. The clubs exchanged official letters and came away from the incident without a scandal. The Metro correspondent found out what happens in gay teams.

Village Manchester unites gay people who wish to play football.

"Some players got together and decided to do something," says Village's centre-half Jason McAuley. "Rather than being invited into different teams, we decided to create a club! This was in 1996. And so starts the club's history."

Since then the attitude towards gay people has changed fundamentally in England. McAuley insists that the Paris Gay FC incident is unlikely to occur in Britain.

"Great Britain on the whole and Manchester in parts is so multicultural that to be 'different' here is not a problem. In our city there is a gay community which plays a significant role in Manchester's development. We play in a regular local league against straight people. In the first instance we are seen as a serious rival and then as a team of gay men."

The players' family and friends try to support Village, as they are called by their fans.

"My parents are simply proud of my successes" says the footballer. "It's in no way connected to my sexuality. But they support my desire to play for a gay team."

Success gradually came to Village. At first, Village played for a long time in the local first division. Then the team won promotion to the premier division at the same time as appearing in their first international tournament for gays, carried out under the aegis of the IGLFA, the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association. "Nevertheless, we won our first trophy not at all as gay men, but as the best amateur team in the city," says Jason. "We picked up the trophy three years ago."

Village is open for footballers of any orientation - whether sexual or tactical. Fans of not only United, City and neighbouring Bolton play for the 'Reds'; supporters of Everton, Tottenham, Derby County, Preston and many others can be found here.

"Our army of fans is comprised of roughly 1,500 people," boasts McAuley. "They're not only active at matches, but also on the internet, where notes from the game are compared and people simply chat."

The notion of a 'third half' comes from amateur rugby. Players play two halves of 40 minutes, after which everyone spends the 'third half' together in the pub, where everyone relaxes after the game.

"We don't only play together," assures Jason. "If we were as good on the pitch as we are on nights out, we'd be in the English Premier League. For example, this Sunday Liverpool will play Manchester United. We will all definitely watch this match in the pub together, and then go on to celebrate one of our players' birthdays."

After 5 matches in the new season Village is in fourth position in Manchester's amateur premier league. Next year a trip to Cologne in Germany for the International Gay Games awaits them.

The canal which flows through the Gay Village in Manchester is depicted on the shield of VMFC. Underneath the shield is the slogan Superbio ab Effervesco, which means 'pride and passion'.

Mainly straight people play against Village Manchester.

The caption underneath the picture of Simon reads:

One of the best players in the team. (Journalistic licence!)

Related Links