Leftfooters FC celebrates 25th birthday with ‘world first’ in LGBTQ football
In November 1999, Neil Caulfield started Leftfooters as an LGBTQ+-inclusive football club in London that prides itself on being for all abilities; 25 years on, it’s going from strength to strength and marked its birthday with a walking tournament that is almost certainly a landmark moment in LGBTQ+ football history…
Leftfooters FC turned 25 this November – a quarter of a century of LGBTQ+ inclusive football in the capital.
What could be a more fitting way to mark the occasion than by hosting what the club believes to be the world’s first LGBTQ+ walking football tournament?
Leftfooters wanted to find a way in which they could bring original club members from 1999 – many now into their 60s – onto the pitch alongside current members, without risking their safety.
The solution – walking football.
This version of the sport was created in 2011 as a way to encourage participation for people over the age of 50.
As the name suggests, there is no running – it’s also a non-contact game designed to ease impacts on bodies. It’s currently one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK.
Members from all eras of the club came together for a day of celebration. The winning team were fittingly named after a former member who had lost their battle with cancer last year, with many friends of hers on the team.
Founding members fired home spectacular goals and snatched up best player awards. Current players skilfully weaved through their opponents and scored beauties. It was Leftfooters at its very best.
“This event showed what is truly remarkable about Leftfooters FC,” noted current player Arthur Webber.
“Members of different ages, sexualities, and genders braved Storm Bert to spend their Saturday afternoon plodding around a Powerleague in the name of queer joy.
“Leftfooters welcomed me, an openly trans man, with open arms three years ago. I’ve never looked back.
“At a time when many would seek to divide us, this club shows that we stand together, united by our love of football. ‘Ave it!”
It was an especially powerful day for those who had thought their playing days were behind them.
“At 62 and with two replacement hips, I was a bit nervous,” said John Lear. “But I’m so glad I did it.
“What an absolutely amazing day – seeing, meeting, playing with and against lovely people who I thought I’d never be on a pitch with again. Such camaraderie, friendship and joy.”
Leftfooters FC itself was founded in November 1999 by Neil Caulfield. The ethos was less about your ability level and more about simply being a safe space for people to play the nation’s favourite sport.
Neil passed away in 2016. He would have openly said that he was not the world’s best footballer and he found it difficult to feel welcome at a typical football club, not only due to his more limited sporting ability but also the inability to be his true self.
And so the idea of Leftfooters began. To help recruit, Neil placed an advert in Gay Times with a pre-meet planned in the Black Cap in Camden for Sunday 21 November, 1999.
Waiting nervously, unsure how many would even want to play, people started to arrive. In the end, 12 people showed up and they headed to Regents Park, laid down their bags as goals, and set about having a casual kickabout. It’s a tradition that continues to this day.
The club grew quickly and there were plenty of people who joined who had been in a similar position to Neil.
Many had never even kicked a ball since school and knew little of the sport’s fundamentals but they never lacked enthusiasm for the game.
There were no judgements, and no complaining about doing something wrong. It was just people having fun in a park before heading for a post-game drink in the Black Cap, a venue which was the home and sponsor of the team until its closure in 2015.
As time went on, Neil stepped back from leading the team and others took charge but always under the ethos upon which the club was founded.
This led to the club co-founding the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) league in 2002, with five other LGBTQ+ teams. It was the world’s first national LGBTQ+ league.
Games took place up and down the country as a great excuse to not just play football but to travel and make new friends. In 2024, the league has grown to over 20 associate clubs in the UK.
International LGBTQ+ events including EuroGames and the Gay Games have taken Leftfooters across the globe. The club even hosted the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) World Championships in 2008.
Leftfooters has always placed its focus on inclusion and its ethos even when playing in league games or tournaments, despite it meaning more defeats than most other teams.
“I joined the team in 2007. It helped me find my own place within the community, to understand that there’s space for everyone no matter who you are. So to lead the team and to honour its traditions is incredibly humbling,” says Garry Brown, the current manager.
“Our ethos means we don’t pick a squad based solely on ability and that can mean we’re facing teams who are stronger than us ability-wise but if teams can’t give people a chance to play, especially those within our community who have been excluded previously, then when will they ever be given the chance to shine and grow?
“We believe strongly in what we do and every win we get feels doubly special as a result.”
Membership of Leftfooters remains at over 150 active players, with many former footballers still involved in social events throughout the year.
The success of the first walking tournament has shown that there is a way for all the club’s members – past, present, and future – to enjoy football.
Discussions are already underway about making the tournament part of our offer as a club annually.
As the years pass and our membership grows, our core message remains the same – football is for everyone.
To learn more about Leftfooters and to sign up, visit the club’s website.
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