February will once again mark the annual Football v Homophobia Month of Action. This year will mark the 15th anniversary of the nationwide campaign.

Football v Homophobia (FvH) exists to challenge discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression at all levels in football.

As an international initiative, FvH engages in campaigning, education, advice & guidance, and more, to create safe, welcoming and inclusive environments for LGBTIQ+ people in football and opportunities to promote engagement of LGBTQ+ people in football at all levels and in all forms.

The campaign also realises the potential of football in society as a tool to create positive change.

Why it is important to get involved in the Football v Homophobia Month of Action?

• Lesbian, gay and bisexual young people are less likely to take part in team sports. Research shows gay boys and young men taking part at less than half the rate of straight/heterosexual men (UBC, 2017)

• Only 18% of active gay men participate in traditional sports (2CV/ Pride Sports, 2017)

• More than half of trans people (54%) feel excluded from sport or feel they have to give up sport at some point because of their gender identity (Outsport 2019)

• 39% of non-binary people avoid clubs for fear of harassment (Scottish Trans, 2016)

How To Get Involved

The Month of Action provides an opportunity to learn more about LGBTIQ+ inclusion in grassroots football and to show your support for LGBTIQ+ people in the game. Throughout February, clubs can show visible support for LGBTIQ+ inclusion by designating a game.

How To Designate A Game

Choose a game to designate to Football v Homophobia #FvH2024. This game can be a league game, a cup game or even a friendly. 

Once you have a match confirmed think about ways in which you can share the Football v Homophobia message with as many people as possible: 

• Players 
• Supporters 
• The opposition team 
• County/Regional FA (Who may want to offer support/send along a representative)
• Local Authority
• Community groups of interest (e.g. those with an equalities or LGBTIQ+ focus) 

Your messaging might include the following:

• Explaining to your players why you are supporting #FvH2024 
• Emailing your contacts to let them know that the event is going ahead, with an outline of what you will be doing on the day 
• Social media posts promoting your event – please use #FvH2024 in all your posts &, if you’re happy to do so, tag Football v Homophobia
• An article on your website/social media outlining your involvement in the FvH Grassroots initiative  

You may find that participating in the Month of Action is a great way of raising the profile of your club in the local community. 

When the day of your game arrives, there are a few things you may want to do to ensure everything runs smoothly:

• Make any officials aware that it is an #FvH2024 designated game 
• Take a team photo and share this across your social media platforms
• Distribute Football v Homophobia fliers to your players, the opposing team, officials and supporters, or anyone else you think might benefit from our message