FVH AWARDS
About the Awards
The fifth annual Football v Homophobia Awards ceremony was held at the National Football Museum in Manchester on Friday 23 February 2024.
Read our recap of a magical evening!
Thank you to our sponsors, supporters and guests, and everyone who submitted a nomination in recognition of those who have been making a difference to LGBTQ+ inclusion in football.
The FvH Awards celebrate all the great work taking place to make sure LGBTQ+ people can enjoy the beautiful game.
We know that the progress we have seen since the campaign launched in 2010 would not have been possible without the dedication, passion and drive of the clubs, fan groups, organisations and individuals who work to make the beautiful game inclusive for all.
The FvH judging panel makes awards in the following categories:
- Professional Club
- Non-League Club
- Grassroots Club
- Supporters Group
- English County Football Association
- Women’s Game
- Football v Homophobia Hero
- Football Media
- FvH Cymru
- Football v Homophobia Scotland
- International Award
Professional Club Award
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The Professional Game Award recognises professional football clubs who have shown dedication to improving the landscape of football for LGBTQ+ people, and who have worked to create better inclusion and participation of LGBTQ+ people over the past year. The Professional Club Award is for clubs in League Two or higher (English Football League and Premier League), and is not for individuals or supporters clubs. We want to see clubs nominated who have tried to integrate LGBTQ+ inclusion into the foundations of the club. Professional clubs could have, for example;
- Publicly supported LGBTQ+ people at games, on social media channels or through work with players or fans
- Worked with internal staff or players to help them gain a better understanding of the issues around LGBTQ+ inclusion in football
- Taken part in the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or engaged in other similar campaigns
- Engaged with or supported an LGBTQ+ supporter’s group
- Worked with LGBTQ+ communities through a Foundation
Non-League Clubs
The Non-League Club Award has been designed to celebrate the achievements of clubs within the National League System, in relation to their work on LGBTQ+ inclusion in football. This award is for clubs outside the professional football leagues and includes clubs that play in Vanarama National League, Northern Premier League, Southern League and Isthmian League. The award will be made to a Non-League Club which has gone above and beyond to tackle issues of exclusion in the game over the past year. Non-League Clubs could have, for example:
- Worked internally to make the club more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people
- Publicly supported the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people
- Implemented training for staff, volunteers and players
- Taken part in the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or engaged in other similar campaigns/charities
- Worked with the community to promote a better understanding of the issues faced by LGBTQ+ people in football, or worked on greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ people within the club
Grassroots Clubs
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The Grassroots Club Award is for any Grassroots club which has excelled at making itself a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ people. The FA defines Grassroots Clubs as any football where the main driver is the love of the game… Essentially, this covers all non- professional and non-elite football. Nominations for individual people will not be considered in this category. We are looking to see nominations for Grassroots clubs who have publicly taken a stand against LGBTQ+phobia and actively worked to make their club inclusive over the past year. Grassroots clubs could have:
- Worked within the club to actively promote LGBTQ+ inclusion and tackle LGBTQ+phobia
- Run internal club campaigns and engaged with the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or similar campaigns, to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion and tackle LGBTQ+ phobia
- Worked with players, coaches, parents/spectators and/or committee members to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion and tackle LGBTQ+phobia
- Worked with LGBTQ+ organisations/community to increase understanding of issues faced by LGBTQ+ people within football and to reduce barriers to participation
Supporters Group
For this award, we are looking for nominees who have worked to make professional football inclusive of LGBTQ+ fans over the past year. This award is open to all football supporters groups, but not individual people, and we welcome applications from across the fan movement. For example, supporters groups could have:
- Taken part in the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or other similar campaigns
- Worked with their club to give a voice to LGBTQ+ fans and make positive changes to the experience of LGBTQ+ supporters
- Worked to give LGBTQ+ people confidence to attend matches and re-engage LGBTQ+ fans who may have stopped attending
- Created strong alliances with other fan groups and initiated dialogue amongst fans on LGBTQ+ inclusion.
FvH Cymru
The FvH Cymru Award is for an individual or a club in Wales who has worked to make Welsh football more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people over the past year. Nominees are welcome from any level and aspect of the Welsh game. Nominees for this award may have:
- Worked to create LGBTQ+ inclusive football spaces in Wales
- Worked to tackle LGBTQ+phobia in the Welsh game
- Taken part in the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or engaged in other similar campaigns/charities
- Used their platform to speak out against LGBTQ+phobia
County FA Award
The County FA Award recognises the important contribution English County FAs make to increasing LGBTQ+ inclusion, as well as addressing LGBTQ+phobia within their area. For help with this award, a list of all County FAs can be found here. This award is open for nominations for English County FAs who, for example, may have:
- Provided support to LGBTQ+ clubs or LGBTQ+ football activity within their county
- Embedded LGBTQ+ inclusion across the organisation, including within decision making
- Undertaken training or education in relation to LGBTQ+ inclusion
- Ensured LGBTQ+ inclusive communications across social media, website and public communications, as well as sharing messages about tackling LGBTQ+phobia and discrimination to clubs and leagues.
- Engaged with the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or other LGBTQ+ campaigns
- Engaged local LGBTQ+ groups and consulted with the community to understand the issues LGBTQ+ people face in football and increasing access to participation
- Dealt positively and proactively with cases of discrimination
Football v Homophobia Hero
The Football v Homophobia Hero Award goes to an individual in England, Wales or Scotland who has shown dedication and passion for improving football, by fighting LGBTQ+phobia and promoting better inclusion for LGBTQ+ people, making the beautiful game, a game for everyone! This individual could be nominated for one extraordinary piece of work, or for consistent work over a period of time at any level of football. Please be aware that groups/clubs will not be considered for this award, it is for individuals only. The Football v Homophobia Hero should be someone who, for example:
- Consistently demonstrates their passion, skills and knowledge in football and in the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community
- Works in an innovative and sustainable way to improve football for LGBTQ+ people
- Has the support of their peers
- Is a role model and inspires those around them to fight LGBTQ+phobia and create more inclusive spaces in the game.
Women’s Game
The Women’s Game Award is for an individual or a club in England, Wales or Scotland who has worked to make the women’s game more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people in the UK over the past year. Nominees are welcome from any level and aspect of the women’s game. Nominees for this award may have:
- Opened women’s teams to trans and non-binary players
- Worked to create LGBTQ+ inclusive women’s football spaces
- Worked to tackle LGBTQ+phobia in the women’s game
- Taken part in the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or engaged in other similar campaigns/charities
- Used their platform to speak out against LGBTQ+phobia
Football v Homophobia Scotland
The Football vs Homophobia Scotland Award is for any individual, group or club who has made a difference to LGBTQ+ inclusion in Scottish football. We are looking for nominations from any individual, group or club that have made an impact within their own communities. Nominees this award may have;
- Spearheaded LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives within their football community.
- Has acted as an exceptional role model within Scottish football.
- Taken part in the Month of Action, Trans Week of Action, Rainbow Laces or engaged in other similar campaigns.
- Worked with LGBTQ+ community to reduce barriers to participation.
International Award
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The International Award is for a football stakeholder; any organisation big or small that has delivered exceptional work over the past 12 months to make football a better place for LGBTQ+ people. Whether it’s enabling LGBTQ+ people to get involved in the game, using football as a tool to create positive outcomes for LGBTQ+ communities, or educating young people in football environments, our winner will:
- Have centered the experience of LGBTQ+ people or one LGBTQ+ group in particular
- Be able to describe the need for their work
- Quantify the impact of their work in its local context
Football Media
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The football media award will go to a football journalist or media outlet which has worked respectfully and inclusively in relation to LGBTQ+ people in football. In particular, the judges are looking for those who:
- Amplified the voices/profile of LGBTQ+ people in football
- Challenged assumptions about LGBTQ+ people’s place in football
- Investigated the impact of football on LGBTQ+ people/communities
- Celebrated the contribution of LGBTQ+ people to football
Award sponsors
