Just a Ball Game? holds conference on LGBT+ equality at Wembley

JUST A BALL GAME? (JBG?) is an organisation that campaigns for greater equality and representation for LGBT+ people in sport.

Formed eight years ago, it has made considerable steps forward from the idea that founder Lindsay England had in Bradford in 2001.

Next February they will hold their first ever fully fledged conference at Wembley.

They have already received support from the Football Association (FA) who have agreed to host the event. Guest speakers include Patron and Prost Amerika columnist Adam McCabe and Julie Cooke Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police who is also the National Police Chief’s  lead for LGBT+ issues.

Other confirmed speakers include referee Lucy Clark, football coach Luke Tuffs, FA Youth Council member Amrit Singh Bains, former TUC Policy Officer Dr Peter Purton and former Women’s FA Hon. Ass. Secretary Patricia Gregory.

Lindsay explained to Prost how it came about:

“Firstly I was asked last year by the FA Chairman Greg Clarke if he could meet me to speak about all things LGBT+ in football.

“The meeting was postponed a couple of time but I pressed on with things and finally got a meeting in April this year.

“At that meeting I outlined all the great work we at JBG? had done at grass roots over the past eight years and with very little or no funding. Then I showed him I showed him the total sum of the work the FA had done to challenge HBT bullying or abuse in the game and the little awareness on LGBT+ inclusion the FA had done over 16 years which was a couple of policy updates and a couple of launch event which then amounted to nothing else.

“I asked him if he thought this was adequate, he said no and asked me what he could do to help out from JBG? perspective.”

Lindsay then came up with the suggestion that awareness was all important and that the iconic status of Wembley would send a strong message:

“I said we needed to raise our profile more to a more corporate level within football and business as most of our work was done at grass roots, and that I wanted to showcase this work with partnerships and others support. So, he agreed to let us have a seminar and for the FA to host it at Wembley Stadium.”

The event is supported by GMB Trade Union, The Professional Footballers’ Association, UCFB, Kick it Out (KIO) and others, and will see a day of interactive workshops, networking, guest panel speakers from football clubs, fan groups, players, referees, coaches, education establishments, the police, media, and other sports organisations coming together.

Kick It Out Programmes Manager Keeley Baptista said in the event press release: 

“Just A Ball Game? have worked tirelessly for LGBT+ inclusion in football since 2010 and we’re proud to be a long-term supporter of their work.

“The #StrongerTogether relaunch at Wembley promises to be an important day of discussion and workshops on LGBT+ issues, and we look forward to seeing how JGB? use it to build on their successes over the last eight years.”

Lindsay herself wanted to stress to us that although JBG? primarily tackles areas in sport where her community is concerned, she and her movement are fully supportive of others who face discrimination.

“At JBG? although we mainly campaign for an LGBT+ community we also will shut down any forms of discrimination we see or hear and support others working on this across all diversity strands. We very much have an ethos of SAFETY INCLUSION and RESPECT (SIR).”

Further details on this free, event will be released shortly. Tickets will be booked via Eventbrite. You can see more about the event on the JBG? website here.

Adam McCabe – the Gay Footballer column on Prost Amerika