Homophobia offences continue to rise in grassroots football, highlighted by FvH campaign
The Football Association’s 2024/25 Grassroots Discipline Review shows an increase in allegations related to sexual orientation; in a statement, the Football v Homophobia campaign points to The FA’s mention of a “reporting gap” and how this impacts those experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination specifically…
New data released by the Football Association shows an increase in homophobia offences in the grassroots game in England.
Presenting its annual Grassroots Discipline Review for the 2024/25 season, The FA says it is committed to “building trust and understanding” in a bid to reduce the gap known to exist between incidents of discrimination that occur at this level and allegations that are subsequently reported.
The Football v Homophobia campaign has responded to the Review, detailing “specific caveats” that should be considered in relation to the experiences of LGBTQ+ people. Around 15 million people in England play football regularly.
On homophobic language and behaviour, FvH says “under-reporting is already known to be more significant for this type of discrimination, as borne out by specific research”, pointing to a recent statement from hate crime charity Galop and the result of an independent study newly published in The Police Journal.
The campaign also says that it “continues to hear anecdotally from both LGBTQ+ people and allies that they are hearing homophobic language more frequently at grassroots level than in previous seasons.”
The FA says it believes “participants are becoming more aware of inappropriate and unacceptable language in these areas and are more likely to report it.”
Data about discrimination related to sexual orientation that is presented in the 2024/25 Review includes:
- 738 serious case allegations
- 322 charges
- 254 proven charges
The statistics show that only 34% of allegations result in the outcome of a proven charge.
The FA attributes this to “the ongoing refinement of our investigative processes, ensuring that only cases meeting the required burden of proof proceed to charge.”
In its response, FvH says it put this explanation to several members of the LGBTQ+ community who play affiliated grassroots football, and asked them to share their experiences.
“All expressed frustrations with the immense challenge of somehow ‘proving’ incidents of homophobic language or behaviour that have not been heard or seen by match officials or by multiple witnesses,” the campaign noted.
“Often, outcomes are further impeded by individuals choosing not to provide statements or disengaging from the disciplinary process.”
In recent weeks, it has been reported that The FA is offering up to six counselling sessions from Sporting Chance for victims of discriminatory abuse in grassroots football.
A 2023 Grassroots Survey commissioned by The FA found that only 30% of participants believe a report will lead to a successful charge. In its new Review, The FA states that “in reality, the true figure is nearly 50%.”
The FvH response to the Review concludes with a call to action.
“Alongside what we know about the “reporting gap” and the concerns about meeting a burden of proof, the Review shows there are more proven disciplinary charges for homophobia at this level of football than for any other type of discrimination.
“There is certainly more to be done. FvH will continue to advocate for greater education as we know that prevention means retention, creating more inclusive environments in which LGBTQ+ people keep playing, coaching and officiating when they might otherwise be lost to the game.”
The FvH campaign will hold its annual Month of Action in February 2026. Last season, around 275 clubs, teams, fan groups and organisations signed up as FvH Champions.
That number included 14 men’s grassroots leagues, representing approximately 800 clubs.
Read the FvH response to the FA Grassroots Discipline Review in full here.
Further reading…
Annual Grassroots Discipline Review published (TheFA.com, 9 December 2025)
Discrimination victims in English grassroots football offered free counselling by FA (Sam Cunningham, The Guardian, 17 November 2025)
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