A huge thank you to Derbyshire CFA for their support of the campaign.
Sunday 24th February saw the Football v Homophobia fixture between a Team Derby 11 v Nottingham BallBois at the University of Derby. The fixture took place on the 3G pitch at the Kedleston Road site.
The fixture was organised by Derbyshire County FA’s Women, Girls and Inclusion Football Development Officer Angie Harper after she was approached by the Nottingham BallBois who were keen to play a Derby based team to raise awareness of the campaign.
The game was a close one with Team Derby going into the half time break with a 2-0 lead. Both sides had chances early on with Nottingham BallBois hitting the post and creating a few chances but failed to put them away. Team Derby scored 3 early goals in the second half before Nottingham BallBois hit both the post and crossbar. Team Derby then made it 6-0 before Nottingham BallBois pulled a goal back. Team Derby scored 2 excellent goals before a mix up in the Derby defence gave the BallBois a chance. The final score was 8-2 to Team Derby but football was the real winner on the day.
Click here to check out the pictures from the game!
Mark Farthing, Athletic Union President said” We are really pleased to have the opportunity to get involved with the Football v Homophobia campaign on the pitch to reaffirm the work we have done so far off it. This year we have campaigned against homophobia in sport and at the start of the year, all 33 of our sports clubs signed up to the Sports Charter to signal our intent to stamp out homophobia and transphobia at the University”.
For more information on the Nottingham BallBois, please visit: www.nottinghamballbois.com or follow them on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nottmballboisfc
Team Derby have recently signed up all their Sports teams to the Sports Charter to Tackle Homophobia and Transphobia in Sport. They have also made a short video on this which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgdZYOXf3NE
Football is keen to ensure that it is inclusive and open to all sections of the community. To get involved in football in Derbyshire as a player, referee, coach or volunteer, please telephone Derbyshire County FA on 01332 361422.