Reclaiming the Game: Survey finds need for more inclusive football environments
A new community survey reveals that the majority of LGBTQ+ players in the Southside feel unsafe in mainstream football environments. But for those who’ve found queer football spaces, the game has become a source of joy, safety and belonging.
A discarded football in an urban environement
By a Southside football fan | Lead image by Nathan Dumlao
Football has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. I spent my childhood in Southside playgrounds playing every spare moment. But to go any further? To go to the games? To play competitive games? Honestly, it scared me. It still does.
It’s the vitriol in the performance of a football fan; the language and atmosphere, the level of alcohol consumption, the violence, and the psychosis of forgetting it is meant to be a game – a shared roleplay of putting a ball into a net.
Of course, here in Glasgow, an interplay of political, cultural and religious issues surrounds Old Firm Games in particular. More generally, there are issues of football-related disorder, hooliganism, domestic violence on match days, and antisocial behaviour. It has become habitual; it has become cultural; and now it has become expected. And whether or not you like football, if you live in Glasgow, you can’t escape it.
I’ve long felt a sense of in-betweenness. Not straight enough to be straight. Not man enough to be a man. Not enough of a Celtic/Rangers fan to be a Celtic/Rangers fan. If I stand on the terraces or sit in a club-affiliated bar, I feel uncomfortable – not enough of a fan to be entirely embraced.
That discomfort only deepened when I joined a Southside 5-a-side league, where my team faced racist and homophobic abuse – culminating in a spectator spitting in our goalkeeper’s face. We left the league.
I knew this tension between loving football and feeling unsafe within it isn’t unique to me. So I surveyed LGBTQ+ people in the Southside, asking about their experiences.
81 percent of queer players feel safer playing with other queer people
Of the LGBTQ+ respondents surveyed, 81 percent said they feel safer playing with other queer people than with straight men. Only 7 percent expressed no preference, and 12 percent said it depended on context, such as knowing people in the group or it being explicitly inclusive.
"I generally don't feel safe around a group of straight men," one respondent wrote.
"When I've played with straight male strangers before, I've found them to be not just competitive, but aggressive."
This wasn’t just a matter of perception – it reflected real experiences. Over 40 percent of respondents said they had experienced or witnessed verbal or physical aggression when playing football in mainstream settings. Many referenced slurs, patronising behaviour, and “banter” that quickly crossed lines.
“It's nice to assume that they'll be fine about it,” one wrote, but experience shows they're often chucking about slurs as insults to each other… it builds an association.”
Even those hesitant to generalise noted they would only join a group if a queer friend vouched for it. The culture, not the individuals, was the issue. Some cited toxic masculinity, homophobia, or micro-aggressions as endemic to certain football environments.
Queer spaces offer safety – and joy
In contrast, queer football settings were overwhelmingly described as “chill,” “supportive,” and “respectful.” Nearly 80 percent said they actively prefer playing with other queer people, citing shared values, lower aggression, and greater emotional safety.
One said: "In my opinion, the queer community has suffered oppression... and is more conscious about holding a safe, understanding environment."
Though some respondents acknowledged competitiveness or trans-exclusion in rare cases, the overwhelming consensus was that queer football teams provided refuge, friendship and fun.
But the very idea of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in football has taken a knock with the FA and Scottish FA’s transgender ruling, banning transgender men and women from playing with their gender identity. In 2022, Scotland's Census found that 19,970 people were trans or had a trans history. This is 0.44 percent of people aged 16 and over. To discriminate against such a small population of people, only a fraction of whom will even want to play football, is unjust.
People just want to play football in an environment that makes sense to them, where they feel at home and accepted for who they are. Why would we ever want to discourage someone from that?
Early exclusion has lasting impacts
In one of the most heartbreaking findings, over 60 percent of participants said they stopped playing football in their youth due to discomfort, fear of being outed, or feeling unwelcome: "Like many queers, I just opted out of sport at a certain point... I didn’t really play from my teens until I was in my 30s."
Another shared: "I was hospitalised in high school at a party for being queer, essentially by lads in tracksuits who I'd associate with football and drinking culture."
And yet, the joy of returning to the pitch – in a supportive setting – was transformative for many: "My mind was blown when at the ripe old age of 34, I started playing football with a bunch of queers and was confronted with the fact that football without the homophobia is utter class!"
I understand the struggle of not feeling at home in the environments I love, and wonder if I had been openly gay or trans, would I have ever watched or played football at all due to the fear of ostracisation.
FIFA estimates that there are around 130,000 professional footballers in the men's game, yet there are only a few current active players, such as Jake Daniels and Jakub Jankto, who have come out as gay publicly.
Early exclusion has lasting impacts
In one of the most heartbreaking findings, over 60 percent of participants said they stopped playing football in their youth due to discomfort, fear of being outed, or feeling unwelcome: "Like many queers, I just opted out of sport at a certain point... I didn’t really play from my teens until I was in my 30s."
Another shared: "I was hospitalised in high school at a party for being queer, essentially by lads in tracksuits who I'd associate with football and drinking culture."
And yet, the joy of returning to the pitch – in a supportive setting – was transformative for many: "My mind was blown when at the ripe old age of 34, I started playing football with a bunch of queers and was confronted with the fact that football without the homophobia is utter class!"
I understand the struggle of not feeling at home in the environments I love, and wonder if I had been openly gay or trans, would I have ever watched or played football at all due to the fear of ostracisation.
FIFA estimates that there are around 130,000 professional footballers in the men's game, yet there are only a few current active players, such as Jake Daniels and Jakub Jankto, who have come out as gay publicly.
Football without hostility
We know that football culture can harbour aggression. According to the UK Government's statistics, during the 2024-25 domestic football season in England and Wales, there were 1,932 football-related arrests – all relating to men’s football – marking an 11 percent decrease from the previous season. Despite this decline, reported incidents at matches rose by 18 percent, with 1,583 matches – half of all games – seeing at least one reported issue.
The Scottish Government does not release this same data, so I contacted the Police Scotland to ask for figures on football-related offences but was informed “there are no search markers or searchable fields within our crime recording system that would indicate a crime or offence was 'football related'. “
Previously, people could be prosecuted under the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. But it was repealed in 2018 – in part because campaigners argued that it led to young men from deprived communities having their prospects blighted by criminal records classing them as sectarian offenders. Since then, Scotland has relied on existing common law and statutory offences to address any criminal behavior at football matches.
Building community
After the pandemic, my friend asked me if I wanted to help in playing and building a Southside queer football community to create an environment that allows people to play and feel safe to grow – to bring the best of themselves forward, and to develop teamwork and healthy competition.
It has been my involvement with this group that has reinvigorated my love of playing and watching football. I believe by being involved (in even just this small way) in the LGBTQ+ community, I have become a friendlier, more understanding person.
The responses to my survey underscore a clear call: inclusive football isn’t a niche desire, it’s essential for ensuring LGBTQ+ people can engage in sport without fear or discomfort. Many advocated for youth-oriented queer football opportunities, acknowledging how early exclusion can limit lifelong access to the sport.
While the barriers are clear, so too is the joy that comes from reclaiming football in inclusive environments. This is about more than feeling safe – it's about being seen, celebrated, and empowered to play.
Inclusive football teams in and around the Southside
Camp Hellcats FC: Community football club open to all marginalised genders and all footballing abilities for competitive or friendly games. Meet on Mondays and Wednesdays in Toryglen.
Cathkin Blazes: A football club in the Southside for women and non-binary people who want to learn to play football in a non-judgemental space. It is LGBTQ+ and trans-friendly.
Gender Goals FC: The first in Scotland to be run by and exclusively for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals. They organise weekly recreational training sessions and participate in an inclusive 5-a-side league at Goals in Shawlands.
Glasgow Pride Community FC: Specifically for marginalised genders, including cis women, trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and intersex people. They offer both casual weekly training sessions and competitive play in various leagues.
Southside Queer Kickabout (SQK): Open to all identifying as LGBTQ+ and allies. Runs informal mixed ability and experience 5-a-side or 6-a-side games twice a week at Goals in Queen’s Park.