As part of the campaign, we are delighted to be welcoming members from the LGBTQ+ community to Edgeley Park on Saturday for our fixture Vs Stevenage.
Stockport County and County Community Trust is committed to making football welcoming to all. As part of this work, the Trust has been developing partnerships with local LGBTQ+ groups to ensure we are aware of the barriers that may put them off attending matches at Edgeley Park.
There is currently only one openly gay professional footballer in England, Jake Daniels at Blackpool FC and many potential fans from the LGBTQ+ community are put off attending games due to the fear of discriminatory language and behaviour, on match days as well as on social media.
In Stockport, there continues to be numerous LGBTQ+ people who have an interest in watching or playing football and the Club and Trust are committed to listening to the community to put in place plans to make the game more welcoming and accessible.
This includes being proactive in creating safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ people to play and enjoy the sport, promoting awareness about the issues facing the community and encouraging and supporting LGBTQ+ role models to help inspire and empower the next generation of players and fans.
Stephen Bowyer Chairperson of Stockport Pride said, “Advancements in equality and acceptance have been slow in football, even after Justin Fashanu was outed by the press in 1990. As the first openly gay footballer, he found himself ostracised by his teammates and the subject of homophobic chants. Organisations such as Stockport Pride, Forward Stockport LGBT+ and Stockport LGBT+ PLUS have welcomed moves by Stockport County to work with the community to help foster a friendlier environment in football for LGBTQ+ people”.
