Help to kick homophobia out of football by heading to The University of Nottingham for its annual Football v Homophobia tournament on Saturday 7 September.
Organised by the University’s LGBTQ staff network – which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning – the tournament is part of a national campaign to promote the ideal of ‘football for everyone’.
England women’s football captain Casey Stoney will also be on hand for a question and answer session from 2.45pm.
Eradicating homophobia from football
Hosted by Pride Sports director Lou Englefield, Casey will talk about her long career in the women’s game and the importance of eradicating homophobia from football.
Claire Henson is a member of the University’s LGBTQ staff network and part of the team organising the event. She said: “Having Casey at the tournament is a huge honour. Not only has she made it to the top of the women’s game, both playing in the FA Women’s Super League and as captain of England and Team GB, but she has also published an article supporting calls for a more tolerant environment for gay and lesbian football players.”
Football for everyone
The idea behind the Football v Homophobia campaign – and tournaments like the one at Nottingham – is ‘to take a clear stand against homophobia so that everyone can enjoy the beautiful game and so that football leads the way in removing discrimination and prejudice based on gender identity and sexual orientation’.
Football v Homophobia is an initiative from The Justin Campaign, which campaigns against homophobia in football and was named after former Nottingham Forest player – and the first openly gay footballer in the world – Justin Fashanu.
Claire believes that initiatives such as this will help to improve football at all levels. She said: “It is incredibly important for LGBTQ people to participate in sport without the fear of homophobia. If people can be themselves, they can be their best. I hope that the tournament is fun, inclusive and informative – as well as wishing for some good weather!
“Both The Justin Campaign and Football v Homophobia promote tolerance in football and all sport and that LGBTQ people should feel able to take part in sport on local and national levels without fear of prejudice.”
Football v Homophobia tournament
Head to University Park Sports Centre on Saturday 7 September from 10.30am. The Q&A with England captain Casey Stoney starts at 2.45pm. For more details, email lgbtq-staff-network@nottingham.ac.uk.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…