LGBTQ fan groups highlight ‘disgusting’ abuse as Football v Homophobia 2026 Month of Action begins
FvH campaign holds 17th annual February activation, as data shows rise in anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in football; official LGBTQ+ fan groups of Chelsea and Leeds United share experiences of homophobia on new episode of FvH Podcast; more than 140 leagues, clubs, teams, fan groups etc have already signed up in support of #FvH2026…
The chairs of two of the Premier League’s biggest LGBTQ+ supporters groups have spoken of incidents of “disgusting” and damaging abuse experienced by their fellow fans in recent months.
Tracy Brown and Steve Wignall are, respectively, the chairs of Chelsea Pride and Leeds United’s Marching Out Together, which both have hundreds of members.
Speaking at the start of the Football v Homophobia campaign’s Month of Action in February, the LGBTQ fan group leaders say they are concerned by official Home Office statistics that show a rise in the number of Premier League matches at which anti-LGBTQ+ incidents occur.
On a new episode of the FvH Podcast, they call on the authorities to take reports of homophobia and transphobia more seriously, amid an ongoing surge in online hate and a pushback against LGBTQ+ inclusion in parts of society.
“We have a big problem, and that needs further work and further investigation,” says Brown, who has been recognised by the Crown Prosecution Service for her work on tackling hate crime in football.
The episode also features a shocking account from Marching Out Together’s Andrew Tilly, as he describes the homophobic abuse he and co-founder Drew Harrison were subjected to by another Leeds supporter in the away end at a Premier League game this season.
Wignall describes the abuse as “disgusting” and adds: “To put two fans in that situation, where they have to leave a game because they feel threatened, is totally unacceptable.”
#FvH2026 is the 17th annual activation of the international anti-discrimination initiative, in what is also LGBT+ History Month in the UK.
Every February, clubs, teams, leagues, fan groups and other football organisations are invited to sign up in support as “FvH Champions” and reaffirm their commitment to tackling LGBTQ+-phobia. So far, more than 140 have registered for #FvH2026, including eight Premier League clubs.
READ – 10 reasons why Football v Homophobia deserves your support in February
The Premier League has developed a new LGBTQ+ inclusion campaign called “With Pride”, which will be celebrated at all fixtures from February 6 to 12.
Chelsea host Leeds United on February 10, and both Chelsea Pride and Marching Out Together say they want to display FvH messaging at the Tuesday night match as well to show unity against discrimination.
Brown says she is “cautiously optimistic” heading into the Premier League activation, which is also expected to focus on education.
“If you can spend time speaking to and supporting the younger players we have at academies, that is phenomenal, because these are the people that can really make a change for the future,” she explains.
Wignall agrees, adding: “Having this period of time to really get our message out and educate people on why inclusion is so important is really good.”
Last season, there were around 300 FvH Champions, including 16 men’s professional and semi-pro football leagues representing more than 1,000 individual clubs.
Since then, Home Office data has shown that in 2024/25, there were more Premier League and EFL matches at which anti-LGBTQ+ incidents were reported than in the previous season.
Meanwhile, in grassroots football, there has been another increase in homophobia offences (FA Grassroots Discipline Review, 2024/25). At this level of the game, there are still more proven charges of homophobia than any other type of discrimination.
In 2025, the results of a survey of nearly 200 LGBTQ+ people who watch men’s football were released (Out and Out Football). 93% said they wanted homophobia to be tackled more seriously. 74% said they had experienced or heard anti-LGBTQ+ abuse while watching games, but of those people, only 23% reported it, with the vast majority (9 in 10) doing so to the relevant club.
To help build confidence in reporting, FvH is encouraging leagues and clubs to be more transparent with the discrimination data that they collate. While most now run their own reporting systems, very few in pro or semi-pro football are putting relevant information out into the public domain.
Of pro clubs that do publish their fan sanction data, Wolves said more than half of their discrimination / abuse cases in 2024/25 were for homophobia (10), compared to racism (6) and misogyny / sexism (2), while Watford said that anti-LGBTQ+ incidents doubled in 2024/25 compared to the previous season.
It’s not just homophobia that is on the rise, with Kick It Out’s statistics showing they received double the number of reports of transphobia in 2024/25 compared to the previous season.
“We’re seeing evidence that homophobia and transphobia are on the rise in wider society, enabled by influential figures and anti-rights movements,” says FvH campaign director Lou Englefield.
“Everyone involved in football must be on guard and recognise how this is impacting the game, while those in positions of responsibility should step up and take a visible and practical stand against it.
“Greater transparency on data is a meaningful action in the fight against LGBTQ+-phobia in the game and will help to make football a better place.”
FvH provides Action Packs to all who sign up as Champions, containing assets and advice on how to create safer and more welcoming spaces.
February 2026 events will include the annual FvH Awards in London on Friday 6 February, and ‘Wear It Black & Pink Day’ on Thursday 19 February, which is also the International Day Against LGBTQ+-phobia in Sport.
#FvH2026 calendar of events
- Fri 6 February: FvH Awards 2026 (London)
- Fri 6 to Thu 12 Feb: Activation of Premier League ‘With Pride’ LGBTQ+ inclusion campaign
- Tue 17 Feb (6.15pm): Brentford FC ‘Our Game With Pride’ event (Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford)
- Tue 17 Feb (6pm to 8pm): Amateur FA / London FA ‘Making London Football More Inclusive’ event (Guildhall, London)
- Thu 19 Feb: International Day Against LGBTQ+-phobia in Sport / FvH ‘Wear It Black and Pink Day’
- Fri 20 Feb to Sun 1 March: Activation of EFL Rainbow Ball initiative
- Sat 1 March: Zero Discrimination Day (UNAIDS)
- Wed 25 to Tue 31 Mar: Football v Transphobia Week of Action – #FvT2026
- Tue 31 Mar: International Transgender Day of Visibility
Visit www.footballvhomophobia.com for more information on how you can get involved in the Month of Action in February.
Check out our archive of related content, including episodes of the FvH Podcast.
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