Gay village

On July 28th, whilst Birmingham recovered from the aftermath of the tornado, six courageous souls braved the wind and rain for the inaugural training session of Birmingham’s first LGBT football team.

Birmingham Blaze

Birmingham Blaze

We’re the Birmingham Blaze, and our sole mission is to run around a muddy pitch, chasing a leather ball until we’re red in the face - and we love every second of it.

We don’t care for talent or skill – we value enthusiasm over ability and promote fair play, inclusiveness and friendliness.

Some players come to keep fit, some to make new friends, and some who like to be involved in something different from the ‘gay scene’. 

“Why don’t your players just play in a ‘normal’ team?  Why do you have to set up a gay team?” are questions I get asked a lot.

Terry Connolly

Promote the beautiful game

Well firstly, our players don’t have to be gay.  You just have to believe in our mission statement, which is to promote the beautiful game within the LGBT community.  Straight people are more then welcome to play.

But unfortunately, despite being the biggest sport in the world, football can be intimidating for gay people due to the homophobic attitudes still prevalent in the game.

However, these attitudes are being challenged across the UK with an abundance of gay and gay-friendly teams, facilitated by the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN), which was set up in 1988.

A thriving national league exists, meaning those who perhaps felt too intimidated to pursue the game elsewhere, now have the opportunity to play the game they love in a non-judgmental environment.

The Blaze logo

Gay footy in the West Midlands

All the major cities have flourishing teams - London, Brighton, and Manchester to name a few - but sadly nothing existed for gay football fans in the West Midlands - until July!

Since that first training session, our club has grown threefold.  We now have a full kit, goal-nets, flags, footballs, cones, and a ‘home’ pitch.  The focal point of the club is our weekly kickabout in Birmingham, held every Sunday at 1pm.

But what makes us so distinctive, is every player has played their own part in creating the club.  In retrospect, the words “club” or “team” wouldn’t do us justice because we’re much more then that. 

We’re a community, where close friendships have been formed and events regularly organised.  Quiz nights, pool tournaments, nights out and weekends away all feature on the Blaze calendar.

Birmingham Blaze in peak physical form

Gay Games

Then there’s the GFSN national calendar which all teams take part in.  There’s dinners, parties, and even trips around the world to take part in tournaments against teams from other countries.  For example, in July 2006 some players will compete in the Gay Games in Chicago.

It’s a great way to meet new people and make new friends away from the ‘regular’ gay places, and more people are joining each week, so there’s always someone new to get to know.

Don’t be under the illusion that you need to be “straight acting”, or good at football to be a part of the team.  We attract a vast array of people of all ages and backgrounds.  Everyone is welcome, male and female, from seasoned veterans to those who've never kicked a ball in their lives.

There's a real mix of ability, yet everyone has a great laugh.

Penalty ref!

In September – only a few weeks after our first training session – we managed to scramble together a team to take part in our first tournament; the annual Leicester 6-a-side. 

Although we didn’t win a game, we certainly didn’t get the wooden spoon!  However, it wasn’t our respectable finish that amazed us. 

We were bowled over by the incredible welcome we received from all the teams, who were encouraging, helpful and really welcomed us into the GFSN fold.

The culture of the league is unique and interesting.  Because it’s a national league, we have to travel further than your average, Sunday league ‘straight’ team.

Brighton Bandit's goalie

Wild weekends

So, many GFSN players make a ‘weekend’ of it.  Generally, the ‘away’ team travel the day before and are welcomed by the ‘home’ team who show us the nightlife  – meaning 22 players having a wild night out on the tiles!  The nights out can sometimes attract as much interest as the game itself!

But once again, it shows that the GFSN community is a fantastic way of meeting new people.

Our first ever 11-a-side game was in October, against the famous Leftfooters FC in Regents Park.  We were only hopeful of scoring a goal against a club with 6 years of history and two major trophies.  It really was the gay equivalent of Man United vs Accrington Stanley. 

Incredibly we won 5-3, having been two goals down at half time.  Everyone had worked so hard in forming the club – both on and off the field - and our reward was a win against a fantastic team. 

Blaze v Bandits

I wish I could bottle up the feeling we all felt after that game.  It certainly beats a night out getting drunk on the scene!

Incidentally, there was a pang of guilty that accompanied the win, because the Leftfooters have been brilliant in helping us set up our club and offering advice.

Since then, we’ve formed a committee – meaning every player has their say on how the club is run.

Half-time muffins

In November, we played Brighton in our first home game.  But sadly we couldn’t repeat our success against London, valiantly losing 4-1 - but the half-time muffins made up for the loss!

Half-time blueberry muffins!

We want the club to grow further, and we’ll soon start advertising in the gay press and clubs.  We’ve already found a shirt sponsor – The Village Inn on Hurst Street, who have been fantastic in supporting such a young club.

We don’t just want to compete in gay leagues either, and we’re in the process of starting a relationship with the Birmingham FA, and various ‘straight’ teams across the West Midlands.

If you don’t want to play but value what we’re trying to achieve, we also welcome those who wish to cheer us along - supporters are considered a part of the club as much as the players.

Blaze enthusiastic subs

Football for all

We certainly hope that our club can not only encourage the LGBT community to take part in sport, but it also help as a facilitator to break down the homophobic atmosphere within the world of football. 

We certainly hope that we have the support of the West Midlands top sides in making football accessible to all, and we are proud to support the FA’s “Football For All” campaign.

If you like the sound of us, we would love to see you at one of our training sessions.