Football v Homophobia partners with Kick It Out to encourage reporting on anti-LGBTQ discrimination
FvH and Kick It Out announce new reporting relationship to tackle sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ+ abuse in football; launching in the FvH Month of Action, the scheme aims to encourage victims of LGBTQ+-phobia to report with confidence; Kick It Out has already received a record number of reports of this type of discrimination so far this season…
Football v Homophobia (FvH) has established a new reporting relationship with Kick It Out to combat a sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ+ abuse across all levels of the sport.
The relationship provides a route via FvH for reports to be made to Kick It Out’s dedicated team, who will liaise with the relevant authorities around the incidents raised.
News of the partnership arrives during FvH’s annual Month of Action in February and follows a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ discriminatory incidents so far this season.
To date in 2025/26, there have been 139 reports of homophobia recorded by Kick It Out across the professional and grassroots games, and from online platforms.
This already exceeds the total for the entire previous football season.
The long-running FvH campaign, which is delivered by Pride Sports, will utilise its networks to offer connections, guidance and resources to those targeted by discrimination.
This collaboration marks the third such agreement Kick It Out has signed in the past year, following similar relationships struck with Her Game Too and The Frank Soo Foundation.
Homophobia is the second most-reported form of discrimination to Kick It Out in football, trailing only racism.
Since the 2019/20 season, 845 reports of homophobia have been submitted to the charity. 80% of these reports involve incidents of abuse from fans, with more than half involving abuse directed at players.
126 of the reports relate to mass chanting, and the majority of those reports concern the “rent boy” slur, the use of which has been classified as a criminal offence since January 2022, liable to prosecution.
Meanwhile, reports of transphobic abuse to Kick It Out have doubled in each of the last three completed seasons.
Statistics provided by authorities also indicate the scale of the problem. The most recent Home Office data showed another rise in the number of matches across both the Premier League and the EFL at which incidents of anti-LGBTQ language and behaviour were recorded.
At the grassroots level of the game, the FA’s own Discipline Review again shows a rise in offences for homophobia and that there are more proven charges for this type of discrimination than any other.
FvH campaign director Lou Englefield said: “While there has already been a large increase in reports of anti-LGBTQ+ language and behaviour in football to Kick It Out so far this season, it’s important to note that incidents of homophobia and transphobia tend to go unreported, according to U.K. government research.
“A 2024 survey of fans who watch men’s football and who are LGBTQ+ reflected a desire for homophobia to be tackled more seriously. However, less than a quarter of fans who said they had experienced or witnessed discrimination of this type went on to report those incidents.
“Through this new relationship, FvH hopes to build greater confidence in the reporting process for all those who are impacted by LGBTQ+-phobia, not just people who are lesbian, gay, bi and trans.”
Chris Paouros is the vice-chair of Kick It Out. She said: “The rise in reports of homophobia to us this season shows that despite progress, football must take stronger action so that LGBTQ+ communities feel a real sense of belonging and respect across the game.
“That comes from celebrating the community, increasing education, encouraging reporting and ensuring that greater accountability follows when incidents occur.
“Even though the homophobic chant related to Chelsea Football Club is now a criminal offence, we still receive reports of it being sung, and this season, homophobic abuse at grassroots level has increased sharply compared to last season.
“We’re pleased to enhance our relationship with Football v Homophobia to back the LGBTQ+ community, and believe this arrangement will help advocate for a game where everyone stands up to discrimination.”
#FvH2026 calendar of events – see a list of dedicated matchdays etc here
- 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)
- 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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