Clubs, county FAs, fan groups and ‘heroes’ making football more LGBT+-inclusive recognised on shortlists, with 2021 ceremony to be held on Instagram…
Football v Homophobia have announced their Awards shortlist for England and Wales, which include categories for the Women’s Game, Professional Club, Fan Group, and FvH Hero.
Sponsored by Puma, this is the second year Football v Homophobia are running their Awards, which have the aim of recognising and celebrating the great work on LGBT+ inclusion happening across the game over the past year.
The 2021 Awards features two new categories, for County football associations and the Women’s Game, in which Sports Media LGBT+‘s Beth Fisher is among those shortlisted.
Almost 100 nominations were received across all categories, nominating 47 different organisations and individuals. The Awards’ Judging Panel featured professional footballer and TV personality, Lianne Sanderson and Fans for Diversity Campaign Manager Anwar Uddin, as well as representation from Football v Homophobia, FvH Cymru, Football v Transphobia, and Football v Homophobia Youth Panel.
Due to current UK lockdown restrictions, the winners will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony taking place on the campaign’s Instagram account on Friday, February 5 (from 7pm GMT).
Scott Lawley, FvH Academic Lead and Chair of the judges, said: “We are delighted to have received so many high-quality nominations.
“There were many new faces and organisations on the list, which highlights the importance of these Awards in celebrating the inclusion and anti-discrimination work that is happening across the game, from the professional clubs to grassroots. Congratulations to all who were nominated and shortlisted!”
Categories and nominees
Professional Game Award
- Charlton Athletic
- Liverpool
- Sheffield United
The Professional Game Award recognises professional football clubs who have shown dedication to improving the landscape of football for LGBT+ people and who have worked in numerous ways to create better inclusion and participation of LGBT+ people at all levels of football over the past year.
Non-League Club Award
- Wrexham AFC
The Non-League Club Award recognises the achievements of clubs within the National League System, regarding their work to tackle LGBT+phobia in football.
Read more about Wrexham’s LGBT+ inclusion work on Sky Sports.
Grassroots Club Award
- Charlton Invicta
- Deeside Dragons Girls FC
- Village Manchester FC
The Grassroots Club Award acknowledges outstanding work from clubs making themselves a safe and inclusive environment for LGBT+ people. Nominated grassroots clubs should have publicly taken a stand against LGBT+phobia and actively worked to make their club inclusive of everyone over the past year.
Women’s Game Award
- Beth Fisher and Anita Asante
- Goal Diggers FC
- Jess Creighton
The Women’s Game Award is for an individual(s) or a club who has worked to make the women’s game more inclusive of LGBT+ people in England or Wales, over the past year.
County FA Award
- Manchester FA
- Royal Air Force FA
- Surrey FA
The County FA Award has been introduced to recognise the important contribution County FAs make to increasing LGBT+ inclusion, as well as addressing LGBT+phobia within their locality.
Fan Groups Award
- Proud Baggies (West Brom)
- Proud Lilywhites (Tottenham)
- Rainbow Blades (Sheffield United)
For this award, groups have been nominated who have worked to make professional football inclusive of LGBT+ fans over the past year. This award is open to all football supporters groups.
FvH Hero
- Gary Ginnaw (player-manager, Charlton Invicta FC)
- Rob Harris (founder, Proud Valiants – Charlton’s LGBT+ fans group)
- Sinead O’Rourke (Deeside Dragons Girls FC welfare officer)
The Football v Homophobia (FvH) Hero Award goes to an individual who has shown dedication and passion for improving football, by fighting LGBT+ phobia and promoting better inclusion for LGBT+ people, making the beautiful game, a game for everyone!
Congratulations to all the nominees from all of us at Sports Media LGBT+, and good luck on Friday! Follow on Instagram from 7pm GMT.
Football v Homophobia is an international initiative that exists to challenge discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression at all levels of football. Launched in 2010, Football v Homophobia runs an annual Month of Action, which takes place in February during LGBT+ History Month. The Month of Action calls on individuals and organisations at all levels of football to take meaningful action to create more LGBT+ inclusive spaces in the game and address all forms of discrimination.
To learn more, visit the official FvH website.
Sports Media LGBT+ is a network, advocacy and consultancy group that is helping to build a community of LGBT+ people and allies in sport. Learn more about us on our About page; to get in touch, Contact Us here or drop an email to jon@sportsmedialgbt.com – we welcome your correspondence.