‘Football Pride is so needed’: Lars Fellows from ‘I Kissed a Boy’ excited for LGBTQ event in Leicester
Fresh from his appearance on the BBC’s gay dating reality TV show, Lars Fellows will be a special guest speaker at Football Pride, the summer get-together event from Football v Homophobia; it’s being held in Leicester on Friday 29 August and tickets are on sale now…
Lars Fellows is looking forward to this month’s Football Pride event, which will bring together two of his great loves – the beautiful game, and the LGBTQ community.
Since appearing on BBC TV’s hit dating show ‘I Kissed a Boy’ – he was its first-ever trans contestant – Lars has enjoyed a hectic and gloriously queer summer, from the mayhem of Mighty Hoopla to the advocacy celebration that is the Attitude Pride Awards.
Now he’s heading to The Y Theatre in Leicester city centre on Friday 29 August (starts 10am) for the third annual Football Pride, organised by Football v Homophobia to bring LGBTQ people and allies together in a shared passion for the sport.
Fellows is also a guest on a new episode of the FvH Podcast, where he talks publicly for the first time about the pivotal role that football has played in his life.
The 23-year-old supports Wolves, his hometown club, and plays for Village Manchester FC in the city where he now lives.
On the podcast, he also describes how his talent as a youngster took him to Stoke City for regular training sessions and matches.
For a while, England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was a teammate of Lars, and there was even the prospect of a scholarship overseas.
However, transitioning was the path instead, and that took him away from football for several years. But Lars’ love of Wolves never faltered, and eventually he got back into 11-a-side too with VMFC.
It’s why the message behind Football Pride, which features a packed programme of culture and conversations, resonates with him so much.
“I’m so excited to be part of it,” says Lars on the podcast.
“Football and queerness are very integral parts of who I am as a person. Creating that space for us to belong, to network and to feel seen by other people is amazing.
“Football was once done for me and now it’s made me feel powerful and reminded me who I am… I think this event is awesome, a very special thing.”
Lars is also encouraging allies to attend, particularly if they have responsibility for making football spaces more welcoming for everyone.
This year’s edition of Football Pride comes after devastating news for many trans people in the game in England and Scotland.
Policies that previously enabled them to be part of teams where they felt comfortable have been abandoned, replaced by new regulations that either ban them outright or create obstacles to play.
Lars has spoken out against these changes and says their impact is underappreciated. “A lot of LGBTQ people are still quite scared around football and I feel like it’s not really spoken about enough,” he adds.
“So this also sends a statement to allies and people who may not be part of the queer community that there is a need for spaces for us.
“And for me, being out as trans and gay, I always love meeting people that share that love of football as well.”
At Pride in London in early July, Lars was invited to join Pride of Irons – West Ham United’s official LGBTQ supporters’ group – on their float in the parade.
It was his first experience of Pride in the capital and he says he felt “very honoured” to be a guest.
He also says it left him feeling “hopeful” for the future, “knowing that communities and organisations like this do exist.”
“A network like Pride of Irons… having that when I was younger, a group that I could have been a part of, might have helped me in my transition, and my journey of being queer in football.
“It was a really special day and I felt proud to be with the group, just hearing different people’s stories and their own relationships with the game.
“It was a very eye-opening experience for me as well. We were all there as fans because we love football and that was so special. Everything else didn’t matter and we were just celebrating.”
He knows Football Pride in Leicester on August 29th (10am to 5pm) will keep those good vibes going. Also making an appearance will be his fellow masseria guest, Jordan Burrow, and a host of LGBTQ personalities and performers.
Tickets are on sale NOW from The Y Theatre, at the low price of just £20 which includes lunch.
For all enquiries, including sponsorship and partnership opportunities…
Please email jon@footballvhomophobia.com with ‘Football Pride 2025’ in the subject line.
You can follow Football Pride on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter / X.
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