Players from the Charlton Invicta side pose with a banner at the Valley Stadium
When you think of LGBTQ+ participation in men’s football, what comes to mind?
Damning statistics about homophobic abuse in stadiums or the worrying lack of representation in the professional game?
Yet, this only represents the top 1% and, at amateur level, participation has grown considerably in the last two decades with nationwide competitions being run by the The Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) and by the London Unity League (LUL) in the capital.
Despite this, many LGBTQ+ inclusive sides choose not to play in inclusive leagues, which begs the question… Why?
And trying to decipher this only draws you into deeper questions about the roles these clubs play in their community.
For example, is the aim of an inclusive club to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to play football in, regardless of ability, or is it to show that sexual orientation is inconsequential to the ability of players?
To answer the key questions that impact grassroots, inclusive football we spoke with committee members of two London clubs treading different paths.
A need to spread the message
Gary Ginaw represents Charlton Invicta
Despite having different backgrounds playing in the LUL and the FA Pyramid, there is a common theme that unites the experiences of Gary Ginnaw of Charlton Invicta, and of Chris Threadgold and Will Oster of London Falcons.
Inclusive football clubs gave them the sporting home they’d been searching for.
All three express their gratitude to their clubs for building their confidence to play football as their true selves.
And the LUL’s role in building London’s inclusive football community cannot be overlooked.
Post-game drinks with opponents represent an inter-team camaraderie that Ginnaw describes as being ‘unique to the LUL’, however, being so comfortable in an isolated league also incubated a fear that perhaps the clubs weren’t doing enough for their communities.
Oster, the Falcons club chair, tells me: ‘But we did also start to feel that… Well, how much are we really pushing this message of inclusion if we’re staying within our own community and, actually, do we need to go out and spread this message?
‘And that really has been one of the driving forces behind us entering the pyramid because it is a slightly more competitive level and you get to interact with teams who may not have any interaction with the LGBTQ+ community.’
Ginnaw, fulfilling the same role at Invicta, recounts identical conversations taking place in South East London, albeit a couple of years later.
He says: ‘To play FA affiliated, Sunday league football and really put ourselves out there and into an environment that the majority of players, especially the LGBTQ+ players, are not familiar with, I thought would be really, really powerful.’
Driven by a desire to give LGBTQ+ exposure to traditional footballing communities, prove that sexuality is no barrier to sporting ability and send a strong message that football is for everyone, both clubs began playing in local FA Pyramid leagues.
Mixed Fortunes
The Falcons have flown the nest and now play in the Wimbledon District Football League
Landing in the Wimbledon District Football League (WDFL), Falcons’ decision to fly the safety of the inclusive football nest can only be seen as successful, something the club’s Comms Officer, Chris Threadgold, is rightly proud of.
He tells me: ‘We’ve got a really good mix of very talented players from the queer community and some really vocal allies as well.
‘We recently won an FA trophy for the first time and that’s got us some really nice attention in our leagues.
‘It shows that it doesn’t matter what your sexuality is, you should be able to play and be successful in football.’
Buoyed by their success, Threadgold believes the club should keep aiming upwards in the FA pyramid.
He continues: ‘The more we can climb in our FA affiliated pyramid while we’re a one team club is a really good opportunity for us to keep growing the game, keep raising our messages at higher levels, and giving exposure and attention to some of the issues that people from our community face within football.’
This shining example of progress may feel like a template to be copied; find your feet in the LUL, build a competitive side around the positive community atmosphere and take this message into your local FA pyramid.
However, when Charlton Invicta signed up for the North Kent Sunday League (NKSL) in 2021/22, they were met with an entirely different experience.
Ginnaw and his side faced the all-too-familiar headaches that plague Sunday League clubs – late dropouts, difficult logistics for away trips and a growing injury list that made it impossible to field a consistent XI.
The situation worsened after a ‘free hit’ of a first season and, at the end of the 2022/23 season, the club held a vote on whether to keep a side in the NKSL or withdraw.
Only three players voted to remain.
‘90% of the games I played in, I enjoyed’
So, what caused two clubs to have such varying experiences?
Reflecting on their positive transition, Oster acknowledges that the Falcons have been fortunate to have landed on their feet in South West London.
He explains: ‘Every local league seems to be different; we have been incredibly lucky with the Wimbledon District League and we know we don’t speak to a universal experience and we’ve seen other things in the news, for example from the Village of Manchester, from Merseyside and Charlton Invicta in the last year or so.’
I suggest to Ginnaw that teams’ experiences are defined by which local FA-affiliated league they play in, not necessarily the work of the team or quality of the individual players.
He says: ‘I would 100% agree with that and, look, my only experience is North Kent and I would say 90% of the games I played in, I enjoyed.
‘I don’t mind a bit of physicality, a bit of aggression, I don’t mind being the underdog and I enjoyed that.
‘[There was] the odd occasion, including one particular game last year, as well as maybe three or four incidents in the 40 matches we played across two seasons.’
Ginnaw’s mention of ‘physicality’ and ‘aggression’ is noteworthy purely for their omission in the responses from members of the Falcons who described only having seen ‘one or two instances’ of unacceptable behaviour since moving to the WDFL in 2018.
Ginnaw expands further on the reasons for these differences.
Gary Ginaw says ‘Kent can be a difficult place to be different’
He says: ‘Kent can be a difficult place to be different, and that means different from your stereotypical Sunday League cis-het, white, male footballer and that’s essentially what the issue is…
‘I definitely think that’s a big factor and you’d probably find that around different areas of the country as well, whether you’re in Yorkshire, Manchester or Liverpool.’
So, what’s the real story of queer participation in men’s football in 2024?
The professional game has a long way to go, but at grassroots level inclusive clubs are making huge strides at bringing the sport to more queer communities.
And what is the role of an inclusive football club?
Well, that is universally to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to play football in and dozens of teams across the country are succeeding in doing just that.
For some that means playing in competitions like the LUL, which has recently expanded to two divisions and a cup, increasing its overall competitiveness.
Others may feel they can achieve that core goal while bringing inclusive football to the FA Pyramid, bearing responsibility as flag bearers for their community as they do so.
With some luck, their positive representation of queer football may change minds around the country, not just in regions that are already welcoming them with open arms.
However, this can’t be seen as the only measure for success and clearly there are external factors that impact inclusive clubs’ successes in the FA Pyramid to a far greater extent than club organisation, player commitment or ability.
One thing is for certain though, with inclusive competitions growing and strengthening, and more inclusive clubs thriving in the FA pyramid, amateur LGTBQ+ football is on the rise and that can only be a good thing.