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External News

‘We don’t care who you love as long as you love football’: meet Manchester’s only gay football club

2 August 2017

Village Manchester FC were formed in 1996 as a gay and inclusive club that welcomes anyone who loves football – gay, bi or straight. They currently have two teams and are among over 20 recognised gay teams in the country.

Village Manchester Football Club host tournament

13 July 2017

Village Manchester Football Club, the city’s gay and inclusive club, will be hosting this year’s annual gay and inclusive 7-a-side tournament on Saturday 15 July at The Armitage Centre in Fallowfield. The tournament is hosted by a different city each year. 

Britain’s only gay semi-professional footballer says first Premier League player to come out will feel like a ‘sacrificial lamb’

11 January 2017

The Sun: If a Premier League footballer were to come out as gay he may feel like a ‘sacrificial lamb’. That is the view of the country’s only openly homosexual semi-professional footballer Liam Davis.

Roker Ramble: Football needs a gay mega-star!

11 January 2017

Roker Report: Can you imagine how brilliant and impactful it would be if someone with the level of profile and celebrity as Ronaldo came out as openly gay?

As many as 500 gay footballers - but not one has come out as FA calls for them to do so on same day

9 January 2017

Mirror: A big group of football stars should come out as gay on the same day, the boss of the FA has suggested. Greg Clarke said they should choose the first day of next season to make their move – breaking one of the last taboos in sport.

Several football players are in talks with the FA to come out publicly

9 January 2017

Gay Times: Football Association chief Greg Clarke has revealed that he’s in discussions with gay players about a plan for them to all come out at once. The head of the FA said that they have devised the potential strategy as no single player wants to be the “first” one to come out publicly.

“I’m bored of waiting for closeted footballers to come out”

19 December 2016

Gay Times: The only people in the world capable of ending homophobia in football are gay footballers.

The love that still won't speak its name on Britain's football pitches: The Pass is a timely film on gay players

16 December 2016

Daily Mail: That some top players are gay is hardly in doubt, but they have chosen to stay firmly in the closet, understandably believing that the culture of the game, and of course the fans, are not ready to accept them.

Homosexuality in football: Three players speaking to FA about coming out, says MP

13 December 2016

BBC Sport: Three players are in contact with the Football Association about coming out as gay, according to MP John Nicolson.

Russian MPs accuse Fifa 17 video game of 'gay propaganda'

5 December 2016

The Guardian: Developer EA Sports backed a campaign in the UK to combat homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in football. Russian MPs have asked the state communications oversight agency to take action against the Fifa 17 video game for violating the country’s law against gay propaganda.

Europe’s first openly-gay footballer hoping a Premier League player comes out as homosexual

3 December 2016

The Mirror: 

Europe’s first openly-gay ­footballer claims that if a Premier League player came out as ­homosexual, it would be huge for the game globally. But Anton Hysen says that such a brave move MUST be supported by football bosses and authorities.

Rainbow Laces: EFL and its clubs turn rainbow to support Stonewall campaign

28 November 2016

EFL: Over the weekend, the EFL and its clubs turned rainbow in support of Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign. The campaign is about making sport everyone's game, welcoming of lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) fans and players on and off the pitch.

Premier League lead way in support of Rainbow Laces campaign

26 November 2016

Sky Sports: The Premier League, English Football League and Football Association will show their support for the LGBT community at the weekend by hosting a Rainbow Laces takeover.

UNITED WE STAND #rainbowlaces will take over this weekend’s football program and even the Wembley arch will adorn the colours

25 November 2016

The Sun: After the Premier League changed the background of their official Twitter account, it was met by a barrage of homophobic abuse

Premier League supports Rainbow Laces

24 November 2016

Premier League: Premier League clubs will show their support this weekend for Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign at their matches. All 10 Premier League fixtures on Saturday and Sunday will include Rainbow Laces perimeter board advertising, pre-match Rainbow Laces flags and a host of other activities to highlight the hard work undertaken by clubs and their supporter groups to welcome fans in their stadiums, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.

Football's Coming Out: Neil Beasley on homophobia in football

24 November 2016

Sky Sports: In this extract from the book, Beasley shares his experiences of homophobia within the game and looks forward to the day when a Premier League star comes out...

‘A fag*ot with a lot of money’ Cristiano Ronaldo hits back at alleged homophobic jibe

21 November 2016

Pink News: Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at an alleged homophobic attack by saying he was “a fag*ot with a lot of money, sh*thead”. The Real Madrid striker was responding to Atletico Madrid player Koke who allegedly called him “a fag*ot”.

Is English football ready for a gay star?

21 November 2016

Sky Sports: The Rainbow Laces campaign carries a simple message: 'Make sport everyone's game'. The aim is to create awareness of homophobia and a pathway to stop abuse and change attitudes.

Why would a footballer come out if it is all he is to become known for?

10 November 2016

The Telegraph: Last year the Daily Mirror insisted that by the start of the 2016-17 season, two prominent Premier League footballers – one of them an England international – would have publicly announced they were gay. After what happened in the United States this week, it might be thought that when it comes to predictions it is never wise to be too bold. 

RTÉ documentary shines floodlights on homophobia in football

10 November 2016

District Magazine: Irish radio and TV presenter Stephen Byrne contacted 44 clubs to discuss homophobia in football and only one premiere league manager responded.

Homophobia in football: Footballers 'would perform better if they came out'

8 November 2016

BBC Sport: Gay Premier League footballers would perform better if they were to come out, a parliamentary hearing on homophobia in sport has been told. British race walker Tom Bosworth and former NBA star John Amaechi told MPs that players would be able to focus on their sport instead of "hiding".

Gay Premier League players are scared to come out, John Amaechi tells MPs

8 November 2016

The Guardian: English football has been far too slow to tackle an environment where homophobia is still sometimes “tolerated” and gay players are scared to come out, a parliamentary committee was told on Tuesday.

Homophobia in football: Footballers 'would perform better if they came out'

8 November 2016

BBC Sport: Gay Premier League footballers would perform better if they were to come out, a parliamentary hearing on homophobia in sport has been told.

The gay issue: New poll highlights the problem in sport

27 October 2016

NZ Herald: It's hard to know if the latest survey of British football fans represents progress or not.

Homophobia in sport: FA chairman Greg Clarke's views 'old-fashioned' - Keegan Hirst

26 October 2016

BBC Sport: Football Association chairman Greg Clarke's views on gay footballers coming out are "negative and old-fashioned", says Britain's first openly gay rugby league player Keegan Hirst.

Lower league football clubs can benefit financially from signing openly gay player according to professor

26 October 2016

ITV: Despite a recent BBC survey suggesting eight per cent of fans would boycott their team if they were to sign a homosexual footballer, Professor Tom Cannon from the University of Liverpool believes extra support would be found in the LGBT community.

Homophobia in sport: Most fans 'would welcome gay players' - BBC survey

26 October 2016

BBC Sport: Most sports fans in England, Wales and Scotland say they would be comfortable with their club signing a gay player, according to a BBC Radio 5 live survey.

Chris Sutton: Time is right for openly gay Premier League players

19 October 2016

BBC Sport: Ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton says there has not been a better time for a footballer to come out as gay.

Why football IS ready for a gay player to come out... why Chris Sutton disagrees with FA chairman Greg Clarke who says players would suffer 'significant abuse'

18 October 2016

Daily Mail: There has never been a better time for a footballer to come out and say: ‘I am gay.’ I completely disagree with Greg Clarke’s comments to the governance of football inquiry. The FA chairman said he ‘loathes’ and ‘feels ashamed’ that football has not created the ‘safe space’ — but when is that likely to happen? Five years? Ten years?

Gay football players 'still face significant homophobic abuse if they come out'

17 October 2016

The Mirror: The head of the FA said the organisation was determined to stamp out homphobia and would come down hard on fans who hurl anti-gay abuse

Openly gay Premier League players would get 'significant abuse', says FA chairman

17 October 2016

BBC Sport: Premier League players would still suffer "significant abuse" if they chose to reveal they are gay, Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has warned. Clarke was answering Commons Select Committee questions at the government's governance of football inquiry.

Gay referee in Spain receives death threats after return to football

13 September 2016

The Guardian: Spain’s first openly gay football referee has received homophobic death threats after returning to the game months after quitting in the wake of abuse.

LGBT Rights in Football: Should the sport appoint gay ambassadors?

28 May 2015

O-Posts: In 2012 the UK’s Football Association launched a plan to make football more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people. The plan included a range of initiatives to tackle homophobia and encourage people to enjoy and be involved in football regardless of their sexuality.

Irish equal rights: Why football must be next

26 May 2015

Huffington Post: Never short of an opinion, and in one of his more perky reflections to date, Morrissey has suggested that the same-sex marriage referendum in his homeland at the weekend was a case of "the people once again teaching the church, the people once again teaching politics". If an upside of the oft-maligned referendum is people-power, it makes you wonder where else it could be employed to useful effect

Homophobia in sport study reveals results that are 'alarming' and 'surprising'

12 May 2015

The Guardian: Based on the numbers from the recently-released “Out In The Fields” survey, homophobia in sport appears to be so prevalent that had the survey pertained to Jews, black people, red-heads, left-handers, disabled war veterans or any other sub-set of our humankind (outside, it seems, gay people) there’d be calls for sport to be outlawed.

Gay teen soccer player wishes Robbie Rogers happy birthday, thanks him for saving his life

12 May 2015

Outsports: Michael Martin is a high school soccer player in West Virginia who is openly gay. His story about attending the senior prom with his boyfriend two weeks ago struck a chord with a lot of people.

Robbie Rogers calls for bans over homophobia in sports stadiums

10 May 2015

The Guardian: Robbie Rogers, the first professional footballer in England to come out as gay since Justin Fashanu, has called for a zero tolerance approach to homophobia in sport in light of a major survey that reveals disturbing levels of abuse and bullying.

Cameron, Clegg and Miliband take on homophobia in football

23 April 2015

Gay Times: The leaders also discusses the World Cup being held in Qatar... Earlier this week we revealed what the big three party leaders had to say on tackling homophobia in Uganda and the Commonwealth as the general election draws near. Well, with the General Election looming, we’re back with current Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Lib Dem chief and Deputy PM Nick Clegg on how they’ll handle another LGBT issue if elected into power.

Frank Lampard on gay football players: 'I would love it if someone came out and everyone treated it with respect'

6 April 2015

The Independent: Frank Lampard has challenged existing ideas that footballers are all “macho”, suggesting that attitudes towards sexuality on and off the pitch have changed significantly.

Grassroots football dying of poverty as Premier League rakes in billions

14 February 2015

Mirror: When amateur players turn out on the sloping pitches at Stanley Park, they are just yards from the grounds of Premier League giants Liverpool and Everton. But their facilities are a million miles from the luxury enjoyed by neighbours like Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Everton’s Ross Barkley, a Sunday People investigation has revealed.

MCFC supports Football v Homophobia

14 February 2015

MCFC: This month is the international month of ‘Football v Homophobia’ (FvH) and once again, Manchester City are supporting the initiative.

2015 Football v Homophobia campaign launches in Manchester

2 February 2015

Pink News: The 2015 Football v Homophobia campaign has launched in Manchester, at the National Football Museum. Launching yesterday, a number of clubs from up and down the UK – from Premier League teams such as Chelsea and Manchester City – to others like Dulwich Hamlet and Tonbridge Angels – offered their support. 

TUC launches toolkit for unions to tackle homophobia in football

28 January 2015

TUC: A toolkit designed to stamp out homophobia in football is being launched today (Wednesday) by the TUC as part of a concerted action by unions and their allies.

Toolkit to tackle homophobia in football launched

28 January 2015

CWU: Campaigners wrapped up in football scarves against the cold on Wednesday 28 January when the CWU attended the launch of a toolkit aimed at helping tackle homophobia in football. 

Robbie Rogers: FIFA fails to support gays

20 January 2015

USA Today: The next two World Cups will be held in two anti-LGBT countries, Russia and Qatar.

Ex-Cardiff football recruiter breaks silence after anti-gay text allegations

20 January 2015

Pink News: A former football boss who resigned after allegations of homophobic texts surfaced has broken his silence, saying “sometimes people do bad things”.

FvH calls on football fans to help address LGBT-phobia at conference in Manchester

7 January 2015

Farenet: Football v Homophobia (FvH), an international campaign opposing LGBT discrimination in football, is calling on football supporters to join its conference on 15 February at the National Football Museum in Manchester and help address the problem in the game.

Antony Cotton: There’s two gay players on every football team

19 January 2015

Pink News: Coronation Street star Anthony Cotton has claimed that there is on average “two or three” gay players on every football team.

High school soccer star comes out as gay in rural West Virginia by dancing with Homecoming King to Taylor Swift's 'Love Story'

22 December 2014

Daily Mail: Michael Martin has been known to his high school friends as a star goalie, a gifted swimmer and an avid nature lover, but there was one thing he had been keeping them in the dark about: he was gay. All that changed during a school dance earlier this year when the Musselman High School senior invited another young man to a slow dance.

New video tackles homophobia in sport

21 December 2014

G Scene: Stonewall the LGB equality charity have teamed up with community club, FC United of Manchester and Homeless FA to continue tackling homophobia in football.

Robbie Rogers slams FIFA for 'insane' decisions to host World Cups in Russia and Qatar

18 December 2014

Sky Sports: LA Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers has hit out at FIFA for its ‘insane’ decision to stage the next two World Cups in Russia and Qatar.

Liverpool FC 'cursed by God for supporting gay pride' says far right politician Paul Rimmer

18 December 2014

Liverpool Echo: English Democrat and former UKIP candidate Paul Rimmer condemned for making alleged homophobic comments on Facebook, in which he suggested the Reds' indifferent form was down to the club 'promoting' homosexuality

Robbie Rogers on being a gay man in football

18 December 2014

TalkSport: Often seen as a taboo subject within sport, MLS star Robbie Rogers took the brave step in 2013 to come out as a gay man – the former Leeds United star became only the second player after John Fashanu to make the announcement and the first in American sport to do so.

Why is being gay still an issue in the sports world?

2 December 2014

Flux: For a footballer who represented his country on 52 occasions, including appearances in two major international tournaments, and played for Aston Villa, Stuttgart, Lazio, West Ham, Wolfsburg and Everton, Thomas Hitzlsperger’s profile remained relatively modest until January of this year.

Amateur footballers to fly rainbow flag with gay-friendly competition in Nottingham

2 December 2014

Nottingham Post: AMATEUR footballers from across the country will be flying a rainbow flag in Nottingham this weekend during a national competition.

Robbie Rogers: I thought there would be more of a 'chain reaction' when I came out as gay

28 November 2014

The Independent: An American football star has expressed surprise there wasn’t a “chain reaction” after he and two other top American sportsmen came out as gay.

Sir Ian McKellen: Roy Hodgson is not living in the real world. 500 footballers in this country and not one of them out?

2 November 2014

The Independent: Ian McKellen believes that England manager Roy Hodgson is not living in the real world and that he's too absorbed in his own world, and clearly it's a world in which to be gay is not an easy thing. 

MP Holds Meetings with FA Bosses to discuss Homophobia and Racism

29 October 2014

Manchester Gazette: Manchester South MP John Leech hosted a breakfast meeting this morning in parliament to discuss diversity and discrimination in Football.

Roy Hodgson says he has never encountered gay issues in football

23 October 2014

The Guardian: Roy Hodgson has admitted he is “naive” over gay rights in football and has never had to deal with a player who is considering coming out. But the England manager insists there is less of a taboo over the issue in sport these days and as proof points to the example of Gareth Thomas, the Welsh rugby international, who earned praise for revealing his sexuality.

De Sanctis: Football world is homophobic

16 October 2014

goal.com: The Roma goalkeeper has lamented the fact that gay footballers do not feel comfortable enough to come out because of the pervading atmosphere of ignorance and intolerance.

Tom Daley: The first footballer to reveal he is gay will be 'amazed' by support

9 October 2014

Daily Mirror: The Olympic diver and Splash star says his relationship with screenwriter Dustin Lance Black has not affected his earnings and that he has been overwhelmed with support

Tom Daley: gay footballers will be supported if they decide to come out

9 October 2014

The Guardian: Tom Daley believes any footballer would be surprised by the amount of support they would receive if they chose to come out.

VMFC's chairman at the LibDem conference

7 October 2014

Liberal Democrats conference: Our chairman John Bridges spoke at the Liberal Democrats party conference during a debate on a motion regarding football. Watch him speak about VMFC and homophobia in football. 

Liberal Democrats conference: Reclaiming the People's Game

7 October 2014

Liberal Democrats conference motion: This motion creates new policies to strengthen democracy, equality and representation within the governance of football, improve football administration and reform football finances. In particular it proposes to make homophobic chanting a criminal offence, on a par with racist chanting, strengthen the ‘fit and proper person’ rule, and divert a contribution from TV revenues to support the grassroots of the game.

FA encourages all fans and players to report homophobia

6 October 2014

Pink News: The FA has put out a statement reminding all fans and players to report homophobia as and when it happens. Earlier this year The FA launched four films, which can be viewed on The FA.com, that show step by step how to report abuse seen or heard.

Gay footballer wants 'whole season' of rainbow laces

12 September 2014

BBC Newsbeat: A wise old football pundit, with shorter hair than Robbie Savage, once claimed it's not what you look like, it's how you play. While that is true on most occasions, it might not be this weekend. 

Ad of the Week: Paddy Power Rainbow Laces Metro Edition

12 September 2014

Creative Review: On Monday, the Metro newspaper dedicated its entire issue to supporting the Paddy Power/Stonewall Rainbow Laces campaign, which aims to tackle homophobia in football. As well as running a Rainbow Laces graphic across every page, the issue saw brands including Premier Inn, Google, and Smirnoff create special ads. The campaign is our Ad of the Week.

VMFC support rainbow laces

10 September 2014

Canal St: Village Manchester, one of the leading gay football teams in the country, are throwing their support behind this year's Rainbow Laces campaign.

This Could Be The Best Part Of The Rainbow Laces Campaign

10 September 2014

The Lad Bible A box of rainbow laces has being sent lovingly to Westboro Baptist Church, who are well known for holding signs portraying homophobic messages.

Irvine Welsh: The English exported homosexuality to Scotland in the 1990s in an attempt to undermine our march to freedom

10 September 2014

PaddyPower: The best-selling author of Trainspotting, Filth, Ecstasy and Porno writes exclusively for the Paddy Power Blog with tales of vicious terrace homophobia and growing up in Scotland when nobody was gay, but mustachioed men still loved wearing skirts...

Rainbow Laces: Village Manchester squad tackle homophobia and encourage gay footballers to 'come out'

10 September 2014

Mancunian Matters: The city’s gay football team Village Manchester are putting their best foot forward and backing the national Rainbow Laces campaign, to encourage more people in the game to come out as gay.

ARSENAL CAPTAIN CASEY STONEY SUPPORTS RAINBOW LACES

10 September 2014

DIVA: Footballer Casey Stoney has exclusively confirmed to DIVA that she is fully onboard with Stonewall's Rainbow Laces Campaign, and will be wearing them herself to show her support.

Rainbow Lace campaign returns

9 September 2014

Manchester FA: The Rainbow Laces campaign is back underway across Britian, encouraging footballers to wear multi-coloured laces to send out a message that anti-gay abuse will not be tolerated. 

Brands get behind campaign to support gay footballers

8 September 2014

Marketing Week: Brands including Premier Inn, BT Sport and Starbucks are running ads in today’s (8 September) Metro newspaper to show their support for the “Rainbow Laces” campaign, which aims to tackle homophobia in football by getting professional footballers to wear rainbow-coloured laces in their boots.

Anti-homophobia campaign, Rainbow Laces, under way

8 September 2014

The FA: Rainbow Laces – an anti-homophobia in football campaign – begins today, encouraging footballers to wear multicoloured laces to send out a message that anti-gay abuse will not be tolerated. 

Thomas Hitzlsperger: Coming out as a gay footballer is ‘impossible’

8 September 2014

Pink News: Ex-premiership footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger says it would have been “impossible” to come out as gay during his career.

Joey Barton on what makes Rainbow Laces so important

8 September 2014

Metro: Joey Barton, one of the faces of the #RBGF 2013 campaign, is interviewed for the 2014 #RainbowLaces campaign.

Thomas Hitzlsperger: It would have been almost impossible to come out as gay had I still been playing

8 September 2014

Metro: Thomas Hitzlsperger is interviewed about his vews on the #RainbowLaces campaign.

UK Football Players Team Up For #RainbowLaces Campaign

5 September 2014

Huffington Post: Homophobia and sports don't have to go hand in hand -- and this group of athletes are teaming up to help combat the pervasive mentality the queers don't have a place in the sports world.

Stonewall sends rainbow laces to every Premier League footballer to tackle homophobia

5 September 2014

Pink News: Leading gay rights charity Stonewall has sent rainbow laces to every premiership footballer and professional club in Britain in support of gay players and fans.

Arsenal stars feature in Rainbow Laces advertising campaign

5 September 2014

Daily Mail: Arsenal’s stars were willing to poke fun at themselves in a hilarious new advert.Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud were among the all-star cast to team up with Stonewall – a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the UK – to help tackle homophobia in football.

Rainbow Laces campaign 2014 launches

5 September 2014

GFSN: After a fantastic launch in 2013, which started a national conversation about why there are no openly gay footballers, the Rainbow Laces campaign is back. 

#RainbowLaces: Change the Game video

5 September 2014

Arsenal FC: We've teamed up with Paddy Power, Arsenal, The Gay Football Supporters Network and loads more to send Rainbow Laces to every professional football player and club in Britain. We're asking players to wear the laces during the weekend of 13/14 September to show their support for kicking homophobia out of the beautiful game.

Club backs Rainbow Laces campaign

4 September 2014

Arsenal: Arsenal Football Club is reinforcing its commitment to kick homophobia out of football by supporting the Rainbow Laces campaign.

The Pride of Manchester

1 September 2014

MCFC: As the rainbow flag was proudly raised over the Etihad Stadium on Friday afternoon, it marked the Club celebrating the diversity of the region’s LGBT communities.

Sky Sports reporter comes out as gay: ‘I love football just the same as any straight guy’

1 September 2014

Pink News: Sky Sports correspondent Mark McAdam has come out as gay, saying he battled with being gay for years, and that he thinks gay footballers don’t come out “because of the fear”.

Football Owes Gay Fans

24 August 2014

Huffington Post: It's 2014 and there are still no openly LGBT people in English football. Not a manager, a player, nor even a physio. 

Kick it Out's Paul Mortimer criticises LMA for brushing off discrimination as 'banter'

23 August 2014

Sky Sports: Kick It Out's Paul Mortimer has criticised the League Managers Association for using the word ‘banter’ to describe discriminatory messages exchanged between former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay and his head of recruitment Iain Moody.

Malky Mackay: 'I'm no racist, sexist, homophobe or anti-Semite'

22 August 2014

BBC: Former Cardiff boss Malky Mackay says he is not racist, sexist, homophobic or anti-Semitic despite admitting sending offensive text messages.

Kick gay slurs out of football, say Lib Dems: New campaign calls for homophobic abuse to be taken as seriously as racism

17 August 2014

Daily Mail: A campaign to drive anti-gay abuse out of football was last night demanded by the Lib Dems.

Homophobia remains a depressingly persistent feature of football - but some fans are determined to promote inclusiveness

14 August 2014

The Independent: The Gay Gooners and the Proud Lilywhites LGBT supporter groups transcend the partisan tribalism usually attributed to the clubs

Justin Fashanu — The First Openly Homosexual Professional Footballer

8 August 2014

thehardtackle.com: The story of Justin Fashanu is a tragic one. As his rise was meteoric, his fall was astounding. From being professional football’s first £1 million black player to being driven to commit suicide. How did it all come to that?

Comedy Series Inspired By Openly Gay Soccer Player Robbie Rogers In Works At Universal TV

14 July 2014

deadline.com: The story of professional soccer player Robbie Rogers, who became the first openly gay man to compete in a top North American professional sports league, is headed to television.

Barrister vows to fight against homophobia in football

27 June 2014

Birmingham Post: Tariq Sadiq, a practising barrister for 20 years at St Philips Chambers, will lead the FA's anti-discrimination panel, created in the wake of the high-profile racism cases involving the likes of Luis Suarez and John Terry

Fifa drops 'gay chants' case of Mexico World Cup fans

23 June 2014

BBC: Football's world governing body Fifa has cleared Mexico of improper conduct charges after claims their fans used homophobic chants at a World Cup match.

New Football Association chair: ‘Homophobia is unacceptable’

23 June 2014

GayStarNews: Head of a new discrimination panel at the FA has said the governing body has hired gay, disabled and people of ethnic minorities 

Unity Cup tournament decided on penalties

19 June 2014

Cardiff City Supporters' Club: A penalty shoot-out decided an 11-a-side LGBT tournament supported by the Trust as part of Cardiff’s Year as European Capital of Sport. Former Trust board member John Isaacson presented the trophy to the winners, Village Manchester FC.

Brazil, Mexico facing action over ‘homophobic’ football chants

19 June 2014

Attitude: Brazil and Mexico could face disciplinary action over alleged homophobic chants from the stands during recent World Cup matches.

Croatian Footballers Shun Media Following Nude Photo Leak

17 June 2014

Queerty: Members of the Croatia national football team are furious this week after a series of nude photos were leaked to the press.

UN: Gay World Cup players should ‘declare their sexuality without fear’

16 June 2014

Pink News: One of the United Nations’ top diplomats has called for gay players at the World Cup to declare their sexuality.

13 Unexpectedly Intimate Football Moments

16 June 2014

BuzzFeed: It may be a contact sport, but this is ridiculous.

Top 50 Hottest World Cup Players (All-Nations Edition)

15 June 2014

Swoonworthy.net: Consider this Top 50 Hottest World Cup Players list your ultimate guide to the sexiest guys of Brazil 2014. We make that claim with real authority, because we just spent countless hours poring over photos of each and every one of the tournament’s 736 players. 

Here’s Why World Cup Soccer Doesn’t Have Any Openly Gay Players

13 June 2014

takepart.com: The sport’s fans have been notoriously hostile when it comes to diversity.

TOP 16 HOTTEST PLAYERS OF THE WORLD CUP (& THEIR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS)

12 June 2014

The Gaily Grind: As World Cup fever sets in around the globe, we have assembled a list of our favorite World Cup hunks.

The 20 reasons why gay people should watch the World Cup

12 June 2014

GayStarNews: Half of this is actual content, and the other half is an excuse to post pictures of hot footballers. Just so we’re clear

Time for world soccer to embrace gay players

10 June 2014

Outsports: No World Cup players are openly gay and international soccer's culture is a big part of the reason, argues a Division I soccer player who is out.

Gay footballer reveals teammates refused to shower naked when they found out his sexuality

6 June 2014

The Independent: An anonymous German footballer has spoken about his decision not to reveal his sexuality publicly after teammates refused to shower naked with him after they found out he was gay.

GFSN Cup Final

4 June 2014

Derbyshire FA: Saturday 31st May saw the final of the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) Cup. The final was held at St Georges Park on the indoor 3G pitch and was played between Village Manchester F.C and London Romans FC

#ProudToPlay: Celebrating equality for all athletes

3 June 2014

YouTube: Support a world where every athlete can be Proud to Play. 

The Hottest Half-Naked Footballers Of The 2014 World Cup!

3 June 2014

Instinct Magazine: Our eyes are used to descending upon Rio and finding gorgeous men, but they've never seen anything like the guys gathered there for the 2014 World Cup!

MATCH REPORT - GFSN NATIONAL CUP FINAL 2014

2 June 2014

GFSN: Saturday 31st May 2014 saw an excellent GFSN Cup Final at a fantastic venue - St George's Park, Burton-upon-Trent.

Village Manchester football team to play gay cup final at FA’s prestigious St George’s Park

29 May 2014

Mancunian Matters: One of the UK’s leading gay and inclusive football teams, Village Manchester is set to play at England’s new state of the art facility St George’s Park for a cup final.

F.A. Centre to host cup final of world’s largest LGBT Football League

28 May 2014

GScene: This Saturday, May 31, the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN), national cup final will be held at the English FA’s state-of-the-art training facility in St. George’s Park near Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire.

EVENT REPORT - GFSN NATIONAL GET-TOGETHER 2014

27 May 2014

GFSN: This year's summer national get-together was held in a rainy Leeds over Spring Bank Holiday weekend.

Cup Final for VMFC

27 May 2014

canal-st.co.uk: Village Manchester, one of the country’s leading gay and inclusive football teams, is competing in the GFSN Cup final at St George’s Park - the English Football Association's national football centre - later this month.

New poll reveals worldwide support for gay players to come out

27 May 2014

The Guardian: With the World Cup fast approaching a survey of football fans from around the world has revealed widespread, majority support for any international players thinking about coming out as gay.

An assessment of the current 'state of play' in regards to homophobia in English football

14 May 2014

University of London: The global always incorporates the domestic within its scope, and in turning our attention to the contentious issue of homophobia in English football we hope to contribute to the debate on ways to tackle discrimination and promote inclusion in sport in the UK and further afield.

Graeme Le Saux: A gay footballer would not suffer the same abuse as Justin Fashanu

7 May 2014

Pink News: PinkNews Exclusive. Former England defender Graeme Le Saux says it’s wrong to assume an openly gay premiership footballer would face the same amount of homophobic abuse as the late Justin Fashanu.

Joey Barton named Straight Ally of the Year at Britain's 'gay Oscars'

26 April 2014

Mirror: The QPR midfielder has endured a controversial existence on the football field but has been fighting to kick homophobia out of football

Grassroots community supports IAB launch

24 April 2014

Manchester FA: Manchester County FA launched its new Inclusion Advisory Board at an event hosted by the National Football Museum last week.

Gay football fan groups take the lead on equal rights on the terraces and pitch

21 April 2014

The Guardian: Groups of grassroots Premier League supporters say the Football Association is failing to take abuse seriously

Nigel Owens: I came out as gay but there are still many in rugby and football who don't feel able to do the same

19 April 2014

Daily Mail: Sixteen years ago, Nigel Owens, now widely regarded as the best rugby union referee in the world, lay on a windswept mountainside high above Carmarthenshire’s Loughor Estuary with his life ebbing away.

Arsenal boss: Society needs to ask why football does not have openly gay players

18 April 2014

Pink News: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has questioned the absence of openly gay footballers in the Premier League.

Action against homophobia in sport is long overdue

10 April 2014

The Guardian: Australia's major codes have agreed on a plan to help gay athletes and fans but progress until now has been painfully slow

Colin Kazim-Richards guilty of homophobic gesture at Brighton fans

9 April 2014

The Guardian: The former Premier League footballer Colin Kazim-Richards was found guilty in a landmark case on Wednesday of making an "utterly disgusting" homophobic gesture at Brighton and Hove Albion fans during a football match last year.

Section of Allianz closed off for United clash after Bayern's 'Gay Gunners' banner

9 April 2014

Daily Mail: One section of the Allianz Arena was shut off for Bayern Munich's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester United on Wednesday night. UEFA took the decision to close off a section after Bayern supporters unfurled a homophobic banner during the last-16 tie against Arsenal.

Former Blackburn footballer 'made homophobic gesture'

9 April 2014

ITV Granada: Former Blackburn Rovers footballer Colin Kazim-Richards mimicked pulling his shorts down, put his left arm behind his bottom and made a homophobic gesture towards the crowd while playing against one of his previous clubs, a court has heard.

Australia's major sporting codes commit to ending homophobia ahead of Bingham Cup

9 April 2014

ABC: In a world first, executives from Australia's major sporting codes made a commitment on Wednesday to rid their sports of homophobia.

Scottish team tops gay football league

1 April 2014

GScene: Saltire Thistle FC wins Gay Football Supporters Nework League Division 1 at first attempt.

 

(NB VMFC did not participate in the GFSN League in 2013/14) 

Joey Barton joins ‘Football v Homophobia’ campaign

25 March 2014

Attitude: Joey Barton has joined the international campaign to push homophobia out of football.

Irish Gaelic football captain thanks players' boyfriends after championship win

19 March 2014

Outsports: Ger Brennan is the captain of Dublin's St Vincent's in the Gaelic football league. His team had just defeated Castlebar Mitchels in the All-Ireland Club Championship on St Patrick's Day and he gave a speech to the fans:

Top soccer stars reveal anti-gay abuse rife in the game

18 March 2014

Gaystarnews: Almost 40% of players have witnessed homophobia in the stands while a shocking one in four have seen it in the training grounds and changing room

How you can help battle discrimination at grassroots level

17 March 2014

The FA today launches the Reporting Discrimination videos - a series of short films to show players and fans of the game how to play their part in eradicating discrimination from football.

Why a Premier League footballer coming out as gay is a very big deal

16 March 2014

Metro: Last week it was rumoured that The Sun were going to run an exclusive with a Premier League and England international footballer in which he was going to come out as gay.

Bolton Wanderers fans warned not to sing homophobic chants at Brighton game

14 March 2014

The Bolton News: BOLTON Wanderers fans are being warned not to sing homophobic chants at the Brighton game tomorrow.

Barton on homophobia in football: ‘Players need to step up’

13 March 2014

Attitude: Joey Barton has shared his views on homophobia in football, saying “we’ve made so much progress” but need to “keep pushing”.

English Premier League not ready for a gay player: Sol Campbell

12 March 2014

The Sydney Morning Herald: Former England defender Sol Campbell believes British football is not ready for an openly gay player.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Alex denies homophobia after latest anti-gay comments

12 March 2014

Mirror: "It is not right for a man to live with another man", claimed former the Chelsea player who has been criticised for his comments in the past.

Bayern Munich facing £50,000 fine for fans' homophobic 'Gay Gunners' banner

12 March 2014

The Telegraph: Uefa open disciplinary proceedings against Bayern over the small banner, which featured the words 'Gay Gunners'

Ex-England star Sol Campbell: Puma wanted me to be a gay footballer

11 March 2014

Pink News: Sol Campbell has revealed sports clothing giant Puma were tempted to sign the former England international on the incorrect assumption about his sexuality.

Why do we need a gay Premier League footballer?

11 March 2014

The Telegraph: Despite a number of sportsmen coming out recently, there are still no openly gay men currently playing in the Premier League. But would a gay top-flight footballer really show that the culture of the game is changing, asks Theo Merz

Ashley Cole and Luke Shaw rise to the bait to deny they are the rumoured 'gay England footballer'

7 March 2014

The Independent: Reports of coming out story for Sunday paper proved to be false either way

Where are all the gay football players?

6 March 2014

cafebabel.co.uk: Thomas Hitzlsperger recently became the first Premier League football player to come out as gay. But he only did so after retiring, and there are currently no openly gay pro football players. But why is this the case? I went digging around to find out more

Children sing anti-gay hate chants at football games

3 March 2014

GayStarNews: New powerful documentary discovers homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic abuse is not being reported and dealt with at soccer matches in the UK

Casey Stoney: England captain reveals her sexuality for first time

10 February 2014

BBC: England women's captain Casey Stoney has spoken publicly about being gay for the first time.

Premier League clubs support campaign to eradicate homophobia in football

6 February 2014

Mirror: Eleven clubs, which include Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, have thrown their weight behind the plans to tackle the issue in the sport

Lehmann advises gay players to keep quiet

28 January 2014

ESPN: Jens Lehmann has underlined how difficult it would be for a gay footballer to come out while still playing.

Village FC back Hitzlsperger decision

17 January 2014

Manchester Evening News: One of the country's leading gay football clubs have come out in support of ex-Premier league star Thomas Hitzlsperger's announcement, writes Alexander Rowen.

Semi-pro English soccer player Liam Davis comes out as gay

14 January 2014

Outsports: The Gainsborough Trinity midfielder was inspired by the coming out of Thomas Hitzlsperger.

Out and still playing: At last, a gay footballer speaks

13 January 2014

The Independent: Liam Davis, the player highest up the British football pyramid to come out, tells Ian Herbert about the support he's received

When will football kick out bigotry once and for all?

11 January 2014

The Guardian: Thomas Hitzlsperger felt able to come out last week, but only after his soccer career had ended. The memory of Justin Fashanu still shames the game

Fowler: It would not be a problem for any footballer to come out as gay nowadays

11 January 2014

Daily Mail: Robbie Fowler insists it would not be a problem for any footballer to come out as gay now.

Life as a gay footballer: Gainsborough Trinity star Liam Davis opens his heart

11 January 2014

Lincolnshire Echo: After Thomas Hitzlsperger revealed he was gay this week, Gainsborough Trinity winger Liam Davis hopes that coming out as a gay footballer will make others feel confident to do the same.

Barry Ferguson: Gay players shouldn't wait until their careers are over to come out

10 January 2014

Daily Record: BARRY FERGUSON insists gay footballers shouldn't have to hide their sexuality from team mates in this day and age following the decision by ex-Germany star Thomas Hitzlsperger to come out just months after retiring.

Thomas Hitzlsperger: Openly gay top-flight player some way off

9 January 2014

BBC: Thomas Hitzlsperger says there is "a long way to go" before there will be an openly gay man playing in a top league.

Robbie Rogers: The aftermath of a gay footballer coming out

9 January 2014

CNN: Once the dust has settled, the well wishers have moved on and the interviews have ceased, there's the realization that there is a world out there -- waiting to be confronted.

Football toxic for gay people - Amaechi

8 January 2014

BBC: Former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger is the highest-profile footballer to reveal publicly he is gay - but retired basketball star John Amaechi doubts others will follow.

Footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger comes out as gay

8 January 2014

Gaystarnews: German soccer star, who played for Germany, Aston Villa and Everton, has said he wanted to 'further the debate about homosexuality among sports professionals'.

Thomas Hitzlsperger: Former Aston Villa player reveals he is gay

8 January 2014

BBC: The 31-year-old, who won 52 caps for Germany and also played for West Ham and Everton, made the announcement in newspaper Die Zeit.

Overseas visitor's blog after visiting the National Football Museum in Manchester

26 December 2013

blog.naver.com: Written in a far eastern language, use google translate to see how it copes. Most amusing!

Gay Footballer Robbie Rogers on Coming Out

18 December 2013

BBC: Jeremy Paxman interviews gay footballer Robbie Rogers on coming out as a sportsman. 

Tom Daley video highlights continuing plight of gay people in football

4 December 2013

The Guardian: Football cares not a jot about gay people who could win equality in law before an out player starts a Premier League game

'Where's the Talking?' A guide to the language of Sunday League football

31 October 2013

The Guardian: Going quiet is forbidden in amateur football, so this set of phrases has emerged to punctuate the painful periods silence