‘My LGBTQ cricket club has helped me find a love of sport I didn’t know existed’
Jordan Chan is a key figure in the UK’s newest LGBTQ+ inclusive cricket club, Invicta Icons; the fundraiser, influencer and underwear model didn’t have much interest in sports when he was younger; he joins us for a Q&A to explain why he’s so passionate about making Icons truly iconic in Kent and beyond…
The UK’s newest LGBTQ+ inclusive cricket club is reaching out to members of the community and allies in Kent and the surrounding area as they look to grow this summer.
Invicta Icons CC, whose activities are centred in Canterbury, has been up and running for about six months. The club is already making great strides, having created a safe and welcoming environment for people to get involved.
The Icons are one of six clubs across the country for whom being LGBTQ+ inclusive is a pivotal part of their identity.
Graces CC, based in London, were the first such club in the world, and they are celebrating their 30th anniversary later this month.
Since then, Birmingham Unicorns, Leeds Kites, Western Force (based in Bath) and Mersey Rose Recreationals (an inclusive club in Liverpool) have all launched.
One of the driving forces behind the newest addition to that group has been Jordan Chan. He’s a director for two Prides in Kent – Swale and Trans Pride Kent – and a proud member and LGBTQ+ ambassador for the Icons.
To learn more about the Icons’ journey so far, we asked Jordan to join us for a Q&A…
Hi Jordan! Congratulations on setting up Invicta Icons. How did the club get started, and what’s the vision behind it?
Jordan: The team and club were founded in late 2025 by an LGBTQ+ ally, Jack Kellam, alongside other allies and members of the community, Marcus Law and Tom Waters.
Marcus and Tom also double up as our brilliant coaches! They created a temporary LGBTQ+ team and won a cup in 2024 in Birmingham, against other LGBTQ+ teams from across the country.
The vision was simple – to replicate and create a longer-lasting club in Kent where the LGBTQ+ community and their allies could come together and learn to play cricket, in association with Kent Cricket Foundation and Out4Cricket.
I was approached by the Foundation to help advertise some taster sessions for the community, to get involved over social media and use my reach with my personal and Pride accounts.
That was alongside Queer Kent Life, an Instagram account that shares all LGBTQ+ events, services, prides, clubs and spaces across Kent. Together, we have a combined following of over 22,000 people.
The taster sessions went extremely well, and we’ve now formed a team and created the Invicta Icons with our Instagram page, email, website, and playing and training kits with our very own logo.
I’ve also worked with local LGBTQ+ owned businesses across Kent to get sponsorship to help with costs and secure a long-standing future, such as Cafe Nucleus, La Margate and Margate Beach Club.
This has helped fund safety equipment, kits and help towards ongoing costs for training spaces and venues.
Tremendous work all round! Did you have much of a connection with cricket beforehand?
To be honest, I didn’t even know if I would like cricket!
Growing up in a small town in Kent, I always avoided P.E. and changing rooms as a kid, and I thought I didn’t like sport.
This wasn’t the case – it was the then-toxic environments which I didn’t like. The Invicta Icons has allowed me to find a love of sports and cricket in my adult life, in a safe and welcoming environment where I can be completely myself, which I’m very grateful for.
It’s so great to see another LGBTQ+ inclusive cricket club launching! Why is this important to have in Kent in particular?
It’s vital to have these spaces. Jack and the team saw a gap in cricket across Kent, and have done something about it.
We are now introducing people in the community who may never have been previously interested or wanted to play cricket, and this is now allowing us to discover so much untapped talent across the county.
Visibility is also so important, and we hope people in the community see themselves in the Invicta Icons and want to get involved.
We’re just entering the springtime, which means cricket is restarting. What is on the agenda for the Icons in the coming months?
We are now coming to the end of our six bi-weekly taster sessions, and are starting to prepare and train for our tournament in Birmingham later in June.
It’s being organised by Out4Cricket, and we’re hoping to bring back a cup to Kent!
What other LGBTQ events and opportunities have you been involved in?
I’m a director for Swale Pride, Trans Pride Kent, and founder of Queer Kent Life, which advertises and creates safe spaces across Kent for our community.
I’m also a part-time underwear model and have been lucky enough to work with some of the biggest LGBTQ+ brands across the world, and feature in magazines, which has been brilliant.
I’m also a six-time multi-award-winning charity fundraiser and LGBTQ+ activist, and a former Mr Gay Great Britain runner-up.
Very busy then! Thank you for all you do. You mentioned Trans Pride Kent… The Good Law Project is currently campaigning to reverse the ECB policy change that was put in place last year, and which impacts trans people playing cricket. Does this policy affect the Icons at all?
I’m a fierce trans rights advocate and friend of the community, being a director of Trans Pride Kent.
The ECB policy doesn’t affect the Invicta Icons, being a mixed LGBTQ+ grassroots team, and for tournaments, we play other mixed LGBTQ+ teams across the country, in an LGBTQ+ specific league.
This means that we can create a safe and inclusive space for the trans community, which the ECB and mainstream cricket are failing to do.
Do you have any LGBTQ cricket role models and if so, who and why?
Yes, for me personally, Steven Davies, who was the first out gay men’s international cricket player.
Visibility is key, especially in the sporting world, and Steven coming out and being open and continuing to champion inclusive sports is so inspiring.
What would be your message to people reading this who are interested to come along but maybe a bit nervous?
I would like to encourage anyone reading this who lives in Kent, to come along and meet us. There is no pressure to play or get involved straight away, but I can assure you, this team is a safe space, where you can be completely yourself without fear of judgement.
It’s helped me find a love of sport I didn’t know existed, and the team will undoubtedly become lifelong friends.
And for any readers who would like to support, we have sponsorship packages available and a GoFundMe link in our Instagram bio.
Our thanks to Jordan and best wishes to him and Invicta Icons – check out the club’s website and follow on Instagram.
If you have an LGBTQ+ sports story to share, get in touch with us at Sports Media LGBT+ to start a conversation.
Further reading…
Graces claim victory at Sutton Coldfield LGBTQ+ Cricket Festival (Edgbaston.com, June 2025)
Kent Cricket takes part in annual Pride Canterbury event (KentCricket.co.uk, June 2025)
‘ICEC report on LGBTQ+ experiences in cricket is shocking – but Out4Cricket ready for action’ (July 2023)
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