LGBTQ sessions in Lincolnshire
An initiative in Lincolnshire is filling a void for the LGBTQ+ community in the county and beyond as it offers a safe space for football participation. The sessions run by Lincoln United and the Lincolnshire Football Association provide an inclusive environment where footballers can enjoy the beautiful game.
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00:00 One thing you ate too much of?
00:04 Pigs in blankets.
00:07 Mince pies.
00:10 Family box of biscuits.
00:13 Furniture heroes!
00:20 So perfect, how long have you been involved in the programme for?
00:23 And you mentioned that you do travel a fair bit to get here as well.
00:26 Since day one, so it formed mid-November sort of time.
00:30 They did an initial session in September, a taster session.
00:33 There was about 20 of us in that and some of us have come back and have been here since day one.
00:37 Missed a few sessions because of a back injury but happy to keep coming back.
00:40 Perfect, and where do you travel from for the sessions?
00:43 I travel from Long Eaton in Derbyshire, so the other side of Nottingham.
00:46 Excellent. And what do you get out of the programmes and what have you sort of seen with the programme as time goes on as well, the benefits of it etc?
00:55 It's not only the case getting fit as well as having fun playing football, which is something I haven't done in a long time.
01:00 It's a chance to bond with other members of the community and actually meet new people that I haven't had a chance to do because I have two jobs back home.
01:07 So it's like not really got much time and it's just a nice chance to get to know everyone.
01:11 Everyone's really friendly and everyone's really welcoming and we can have a good laugh as you've hopefully just seen.
01:15 Yes, so my name's Jordan and I'm Football Development Officer for Disability and Inclusion at Lincolnshire FA.
01:20 I've been in the role for a couple of years now and in that time something we're very conscious of at the county FA and nationally really is that homophobia and LGBTQ inclusion is a bit of an issue in football really.
01:32 People that identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community aren't as engaged and aren't as involved and maybe don't feel as welcome in football as they could or should.
01:39 And it's something we've done quite a bit of work on.
01:41 We've done quite a lot around CPD and educational awareness for grassroots football and delivered a few campaigns and events.
01:47 Ultimately it's now culminated to this session which I think is really important because it provides a space for people to play with people that they identify with,
01:55 people that are like them and provides an opportunity maybe not aligned to traditional male and female specific football
02:02 and something that's a little bit more welcoming, a little bit more friendly, a little bit more recreational really but still offering that kind of competitive football opportunity.
02:09 Yes, so at Lincolnshire FA, I'm Media, Marketing and Events Officer.
02:12 On a voluntary basis I'm LGBTQ+ Ambassador.
02:17 Basically just being that person who's got the lived experience, who is LGBTQ+ and is able to offer insight and basically drive the grassroots game and football in Lincolnshire forward in terms of inclusion and support.
02:35 It's really important that everybody knows they've got a place at Lincoln United.
02:39 If they want to play football or they want to come and watch football then we want to be a really open club where everybody feels that they've got a part there.
02:47 So when we were offered this session and Zac wanted us to take it over and look after it, we were really pleased because it's something that we're focusing on and being an inclusive club
02:57 and making sure that everybody gets the opportunity to experience football in their own way.
03:04 My background was I wanted to play and couldn't play when I was younger and so it's really, really important to me that I give back to the community
03:13 and make sure that as many communities from within our local area get to play and this is lovely to see that it's growing and growing here.
03:23 So it's like anything in life, you've got to take a chance. Ultimately everyone here has made a big decision at some point in their life.
03:29 So by comparison coming to play a bit of football isn't that a bigger decision but it's one of those things where it's a chance to meet new people
03:34 and everyone here gets on, everyone's really friendly, everyone's really welcoming, we're all part of that spectrum online somewhere so you'll fit in
03:40 and it's a chance to bond with people that you wouldn't necessarily get the chance to normally and it's a chance to play football.
03:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]