Scotland v Austria

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SCOTLAND v AUSTRIA / EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS / FIFA 2022 WORLD CUP SFA INITIATIVE ‘JOURNEY OF CHANGE’ A new strategy is helping Scottish football become a more welcoming place for the LGBTI community 42 The Scottish FA’s drive for inclusivity within football stepped up again over the last year and David McArdle sees increasing evidence for optimism in the “journey of change”. A new national strategy to remove the barriers which prevent lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people from accessing, participating, enjoying and excelling across Scottish football was launched at Hampden Park in February 2020. The Scottish FA’s strategy, in conjunction with LEAP Sports (Leadership, Equality and Active Participation in Sports for LGBTI people in Scotland) and Football v Homophobia Scotland (an international initiative opposing homophobia in football at all levels) set out to tackle discrimination while improving the inclusion of LGBTI people across football. The initiative opposes homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in football at all levels - from grassroots to professional clubs - and it is much needed. The 2020 publication of the Scottish Football Supporters Survey showed less than half of fans surveyed feel Scottish football is an inclusive place for people of any sexual orientation. McArdle, diversity and inclusion manager at the Scottish FA, said: “More clubs are feeling more comfortable to speak about the issues. “We are going through a club licensing process so clubs are in a much better place to have it in their structures. “We have been working hard with LGBTI fan groups around the country like Celtic Pride, HAMPDEN PARK The / phrases THURSDAY, ‘homophobia 25 MARCH 2021 in football’ or ‘transphobia in football’ are often used without homophobia and transphobia are not uniform phenomena experienced in the same
SCOTLAND v AUSTRIA / EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS / FIFA 2022 WORLD CUP Ibrox Pride, Tynecastle Pride and Proud Dons to make sure they have an appropriate voice within their club structures. “We will be doing other things around raising awareness, through education, policies and procedures to allow the game to have that journey of change. “Clubs like Partick Thistle have done amazing work over the last number of years where they quite regularly have the LGBTI fan group Proud Jags on the pitch to promote themselves and obviously they had the LGTBI away shirt with the rainbow colours on it. “Just because fans are from the LGBTI community, it doesn’t mean they are any less passionate about their football club and it is something we really encourage and are delighted to see flourish and grow.” McArdle knows there is no quick-fire solution to inclusivity problems in Scottish football, with its historical masculine culture. A 2016 Stonewall Scotland survey showed that 82 per cent of Scottish fans who had witnessed anti-LGBT language or behaviour at a sporting event, said that it took place in relation to football. He said: “We are not saying people are homophobic because they use that type Above: Hugh Torrance, executive director at LEAP Sports, Sirri Topping participation and engagement manager at LEAP Sports, Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell, Carolina Sousa e Sá, Project Officer (Communities) at LEAP Sports and David McArdle, Scottish FA’s diversity and inclusion manager of ‘banter’. I’d say 99 per cent just don’t understand how certain words and phrases affect people around them. It is not okay to use them as a cheap joke. It has hurtful connotations and hurtful aspects, making people feel they can’t be themselves.” Sirri Topping, participation and engagement manager with LEAP Sports Scotland, which works for greater inclusion for LGBTI people in sport and against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in a sports context, has been working with the Scottish FA for four years. She also believes that the most contentious of terms, ‘banter’, lies at the heart of much of the problems experienced by LGBTI people who are involved in Scottish football. Topping said: “We know from research, personal testimony, enquiries and the experiences of the LGBTI community that homophobia, biphobia and transphobia 43 HAMPDEN PARK / THURSDAY, 25 MARCH 2021
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Scotland v Austria

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