Month / Mar 2021

by fvhyouth

FvH Youth – Football v Transphobia Week of Action 2021 (24th-31st March)

The Football v Transphobia Week of Action will be taking place from the 24th– 31st March 2021, ending on Transgender Day of Visibility.

This is the third season we are taking specific action on transphobia in the game. We will be active across social media, using our presence to amplify the voices of trans and non binary people in all aspects of football.

The Youth Panel will be supporting the Week of Action with some special youth events, which will run alongside the main Football v Transphobia campaign.

How does this Week of Action differ from last year’s?


FvT Campaign Lead, Natalie Washington (she/they) explained how this year’s Week of Action differs to last year’s.

“Last year we’d just gone into a national lockdown, so the physical events we had planned had to be replaced at short notice!

“This year, we want to get people thinking about what it means to be a good ally for trans people in the game – trans people, trans women in particular, are constantly demonised in the media for being involved in sport. 

“We want to share our experiences that the vast majority of people are really supportive of trans inclusion in sport, and so highlighting great allies is a fantastic way of showing that it’s safe to get involved.

“This year, we’re prepared for it to be almost entirely virtual, so we have a few more things planned!”

Events to look forward to for #FvT2021

The Youth Panel have organised two events for the Week of Action.

TransTalk- Wednesday 24th March, 7-8pm

This panel discussion will feature a group of young trans and non binary people in football. They will be discussing the importance of allies and how cis-folk can be better allies to trans and non binary people. Their perspectives of the game will help clubs, coaches and the wider football community to better understand what they can do to improve, shaping the next steps towards making sure football is truly inclusive for everyone.

Come along for this opportunity to ask questions about how you and your club can be better trans and non binary allies.

Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ttVqJj3qQques3N-nFk7CQ

101 LGBT+ Education- Friday 26th March, 4-6pm

This education session for 16-30 year olds, gives an introduction to LGBTQ+ identities. Participants on this training will start thinking about how to make their football team/club and their own daily environments more LGBT+ inclusive. The training will cover terminology, gender and sexuality, anti racism, trans rights, LGBT+ icons in football and how to be a great ally.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-101-education-tickets-146334074155

Other things to watch out for:

#TransFootyAlly is a new virtual campaign for FvT 2021. All across the week of action, we are encouraging people to really show us the value of allyship in the game. For trans and non-binary people, what has someone done to make you feel safe & included? What more could people do to improve your football experience? For cisgender allies; how does the presence of trans and non-binary people in the game enrich your footballing life? What are you doing to make your club a more inclusive place for trans and non-binary people?

Trans and non binary people are also encouraged to share content about how cisgender people have been allies to them or to share top tips for those wanting to be allies in the game.

More information can be found here

Additional content for the Week of Action includes podcasts with trans and non binary,as well as information about how trans and non binary people can get into football.

A fun social event will round up the Week of Action, hosted by Natalie Washington.

Contacts and Social Media

Make sure to follow us on all social media channels for updates on FvT2021:

Twitter- @FvHyouth

Instagram- FvHyouth

Please tag us in any social media posts and use the hashtags #FvT2021 and #TransFootyAlly

Also remember to purchase your Football v Transphobia T-shirt to show your support for the campaign by clicking on the link below.

Football v Transphobia T-shirt

If you have any queries or questions regarding to the Week of Action, contact our Events Officer Danyal at dkhansportsjourno@outlook.com.

Written by Events Officer – Danyal Khan (@DKMatchreports)

by fvhyouth

Cam Wood: “A Villa fan using wheels to be on a Level Playing Field.”

I support Aston Villa and I am in a wheelchair as I have cerebral palsy and hydrocephulas, however this doesn’t stop me from enjoying football just like my peers.

I have supported the club since 2010 when I developed a love for the beautiful game and began searching for a club to support.

I have attended loads of matches following Villa both at home and down to Wembley for a couple of magical cup final days.

Each time I visit Villa Park with my best friend, we always have an awesome day out and are treated well by all Villa staff that we come into contact with.

We always travel to matches from our hometown of Hereford by train and as we approach Witton station we are always supported by stewards and station staff to exit safely.

Once we have fought our way through the crowds from the station to the ground we find ourselves being treated in the same way as an able-bodied fan.

Once we have made our way through the various refreshment stands at the ground and found our allocated seats for the match the atmosphere is simply electric.

When the Villa stars enter the field of play my view is obscured as the fans rise to welcome the players.

My best friend will usually video the players entering the field so that I can watch them do this at a later time.

As Villa head towards the goal mouth and again the fans rise to watch this unfold my view is again obscured and I have to watch the action on the big screens.

As half time comes and I want some food I struggle to reach the refreshment stands due to the volume of people in one area meaning my best friend makes this trip us.

As the match finishes the stewards at the ground stop fans from exiting the stadium to allow the wheelchair supporters the opportunity to exit the ground safely.

After leaving the stadium we head over to the Villa store to see what delights we can get however this isn’t without its problems as the store is not very wheelchair friendly. If I choose to make a purchase prior to heading home after a long day my best friend has to join the long queue of villa fans wanting to make a purchase.

Once we have left the villa store we have to then re-join the fight back to the station to head home. As we arrive back at Witton train station and join the long queue of fans waiting to board trains home we are again supported by stewards and staff to board a train.

I can never the fault the level of support we are given to board a train as the staff at the station always stop fans from boarding until we are safely on board.

I believe that football clubs do all that they can to support their disabled fans to enjoy the whole match day experience no matter what. It is vital that clubs from all levels of the game do all that they can do to make the experience of attending a football match enjoyable for their disabled fan community.

If I was to offer any advice to a football club about making their match day experience accessible for all then it would be this:

Engage with your disabled supporters fan group to find out what their members want so that you can ensure that the experience is an incredible one for this group of people.

Written by Cameron Wood, FvH Youth Panel Chair