Grecians taking stand against homophobia

Tuesday 10 Feb 2015
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League Two side Exeter City  will be making clear their opposition to homophobia in football when they play host to Cambridge United tonight (10 February).

The match has been designated as the club’s annual ‘Football v Homophobia’ (FvH) fixture – a move welcomed by the Exeter City Supporters’ Trust and its One Game One Community (OGOC) Group, and the club’s Football in the Community scheme.

The game is also part of Kick It Out’s ‘Season of Action’, a season-long drive that provides a greater opportunity for the organisation to display the work it undertakes throughout the year to promote equality and inclusion across all levels of the game.

The OGOC Group is organising a series of initiatives at the match and is delighted to be welcoming guests from Exeter Pride, University of Exeter LGBTQ+ Society and the Devon Lions, the local gay-friendly football club.

FvH leaflets will be distributed to the crowd and the players will walk out behind an FvH banner, with articles about the campaign also featuring in the matchday programme.

In a new move the OGOC Group will be asking Exeter City Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) fans if they are interested in setting up a Grecian LGBT supporters group. Several clubs now have LGBT fans’ groups.

Alan Quick, South West Co-ordinator for FvH, a Founding Trustee of Exeter Pride and a member of the Exeter City OGOC Group said: “I am delighted to see Exeter City taking such a principled stance against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.

“Everyone, be they a player, official, employee or fan, should be free to be themselves. Exeter City should be congratulated for taking a firm stand against things like inappropriate chanting or hateful or prejudiced language.

“We are also very interested to hear from LGBT fans about whether they would be interested in forming a supporters group as is happening at several other leading clubs.”

Exeter City’s One Game One Community Group works with Kick It Out to address all types of discrimination in football including race, disability, gender, age, and sexual orientation.

So far this season, 91 goals have been scored in ‘Season of Action’ games, with over 800,000 people attending at least one fixture so far in 2014/15.

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