Football v Homophobia (FvH) uses football as a tool to challenge discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Since 2011, Fare and FvH have worked in partnership across football to drive positive change. Together, we have delivered campaigns, interventions and community-led projects that support LGBTIQ+ inclusion, confront bias and create safer spaces in football.

As part of this partnership, we have organised initiatives, including conferences, workshops, tournaments, educational sessions, exhibitions and community events. These activities aim to raise awareness, build solidarity and equip people with tools to challenge discrimination wherever it occurs. Our work reaches coaches, fans, grassroots activists, clubs, leagues and national football associations, helping to embed inclusion across footballing structures and therefore across society.

A key part of our collaboration is the annual Football vs. Homophobia Month of Action each February, for which we offer grants. During this period, we support groups across Europe and beyond to develop football-related actions that promote LGBTIQ+ rights, visibility and allyship.

Grants and Community Support

Every year, Fare and FvH provide grants to grassroots groups, fan clubs, community organisations and activists who work to challenge LGBTIQ+ discrimination and promote inclusion through football. These grants help to make local initiatives possible by covering essential costs and enabling groups to organise activities that speak directly to their communities.

Supported projects include:

• inclusive football tournaments
• awareness-raising events or exhibitions
• storytelling and media projects
• workshops, discussions or panel events
• creative interventions and visibility actions
• campaigns that reclaim space and challenge exclusion

Grantees also receive communications support, and access to campaign materials, helping their work connect with wider audiences.

Examples of Projects Supported by Fare and FvH

To illustrate the impact of the grants programme, we’re highlighting three initiatives supported through our campaign:

‘Dissident Voices – Conectadxs por el deporte’ (Uruguay)

This project focuses on collecting and amplifying stories from people whose experiences challenge heteronormative, patriarchal and exclusionary norms in sport. Through recorded testimonies, the initiative highlights discrimination faced by LGBTTINBQ+ athletes and promotes sport as a space of joy and inclusion.

A public presentation was held at Espacio Feminista Las Pioneras with collectives such as Uruguay Celeste Deporte y Diversidad, TransPapeladxs, Todos los cuerpos en bicicleta and Mujeres en la cancha. Recording sessions took place at Radio Pedal, which also produced the podcast trailer “Voces disidentes del deporte”, now available on Spotify and Anchor.

‘Futbol Przeciw Homofobii’ – Womxn’s Tournament (Poland)

In Warsaw, Klub Sportowy Chrząszczyki organised a womxn’s football tournament under the banner Football v Homophobia. The event aimed to confront the lack of visibility of LGBTQ+ people in Polish football and reclaim sporting spaces often dominated by cis-heterosexual men.

By renting a pitch for an entire day, decorating it with banners and flags, and hosting collateral activities – including a discussion space, an exhibition and an after-party – the organisers created a visible, celebratory and defiant statement in support of LGBTIQ+ inclusion in sport.

‘What Makes You You?’ – A Negra no Futebol Brasileiro (Brazil)

This multimedia project explored identity, erasure and representation through the story of Marcelo Nascimento, a trans man who left women’s football at the peak of his career to live authentically. The special season combined a live discussion hosted on Ludopédio’s YouTube channel with an eight-episode video series published on Kwai, Instagram, YouTube and Revista Gambiarra’s Twitter.

The project tackled issues such as the invisibility of trans men in football and the lack of discussion around their participation, despite no formal rules preventing them from competing with cis men. Contributors included journalist Natália Andrade, artist Raquel Ferreira, Ludopédio’s dissemination team and the Observatory of Racial Discrimination in Football.

Through these grants and the wider partnership with FvH, Fare continues to support creative, community-driven work that challenges discrimination and pushes football towards greater equality. We work for a game where everyone can feel safe, respected and free to be themselves, on and off the pitch.