'A celebration of the sport': St George's Park hosts historic inclusive football Quarter Finals
The GFSN - Gay Football Supporters Network - held their biggest Quarter Final in their history last month, as their Chair says more LGBTQ+ teams are getting involved
Last updated 23 hours ago
Nearly a month ago, teams of LGBT+ players - and their supporters - descended in Staffordshire for what was an historic moment at the home of English football.
They turned the Beautiful Game into a rainbow of colour, as the Gay Football Supporters Network hosted the Quarter Finals of the GFSN Cup: their biggest ever in their 26-year history.
"It was something which we've been building to for quite a long time," said the chair of the GFSN, Paul Williams.
The Network was founded back in 1989 in North London, but quickly expanded across the UK, and it was just after the turn of the century when the GFSN League was first formed.
Its aim was to break down barriers, by offering a space for both gay players and fans to play and talk about the game without fear, abuse or discrimination.
That led to the creation of the GFSN Cup, and it wasn't until the 2021 season when the final was first played at a professional men's league ground.
Has anything changed in that time? The answer is complicated.
As outlined in a 2022 YouGov survey, around half of football fans still claimed homophobia to be a 'serious problem' in the sport - more of which you can read about here.
Fast forward to 2025, and the landscape had altered again, particularly under a backdrop of the Supreme Court ruling back in April the term 'gender' in the Equality Act refers to a person's biological sex.
This led to organisations, including the FA, banning transgender women from playing the female game.
They said it was to 'make football accessible to as many people as possible, operating within the law and international football policy defined by UEFA and FIFA'.
You can read more about that ruling here: Campaigners respond to FA's ban on transgender women from the female game
So, that's where the GFSN comes in, with their mission of developing an inclusive, competitive, game, whilst also championing activism.
Paul said: "I think the ban on transgender players reflects a wider aspect of society, as much as it does within the sport.
"There's some fantastic work by Football v Homophobia, and I think it's really important to advocate for LGBT players, but I also think it's really important to engage with organisations that have taken these decisions that we don't agree with.
"It's through that engagement that we can create a greater sense of understanding, and hopefully, in the years to come, that can improve, and we can give everybody the opportunity they deserve in football."
To the game at St George's Park, and it was a nail-biter, as eight teams spanning the UK and Ireland clashed in a battle for a place in the last four of the 2025 tournament.
Supporters were also treated to a number of other matches on the day, too - with a GFSN Development League match and a showcase friendly taking place - bringing home the message the the Network is more than just about the competition.
It's a huge, nation-spanning community.
Paul told Hits Radio Pride: "We'd been speaking to people in the FA about visibility, and the wider point of LGBT+ people playing football more generally - and they've been really supportive with our message.
"Our league - which isn't affiliated with the FA - started back in the early noughties, but it's already grown so much in that time - we've got teams up and down the country involved.
"And despite there being a lot of travel for our teams, what we find is really important for our players is the social element of it all.
"It's about connecting - it's not just about football - so what we try to do with our Quarter Finals tournaments is get everyone together for a celebration of the sport.
"It was unique this year, holding it at the fabulous venue of St George's Park, which was such a special moment for us.
"But this comes on the backdrop of changes in legislation which saw transgender women banned from playing in affiliated football, which is something the GFSN oppose.
"So, one of the things we were keen to do was build relationships with the FA, who we know want to also champion our important cause."
The organisation called the whole thing 'a special day' at St George's Park - home, of course, to the trailblazing Lionesses squad.
They say it was a celebration of their growth since they launched nearly four decades ago, and in a world 'that seeks so often to divide, it was a way of showing to the world that sport can bring so much to everyone's lives.
It was also a chance to demonstrate the 'living proof' that clubs up and down the country can create spaces that are inclusive, safe and welcoming.
And, as they look to the future, it looks like there's no limit to the organisation's ambition.
Paul added: "The GFSN Cup is one of our longstanding competitions, and one of the things I would say was important for us to highlight at St George's Park last month is the development part of our league.
"We have competitions at a number of levels, and what we're really looking to do is grow the GFSN even more.
"There are new teams coming to us all the time, and we're always on the lookout for more support.
"As an unaffiliated league, more sponsors and funding will help us spread our message, and make it possible for more start-up teams to get involved with the GFSN, because it's not just about the opportunity to play football.
"I stopped playing the game when I left high school, because it didn't feel like I could fit in at local level football at the time.
"So, for me, the GFSN is about having the opportunity to meet other like-minded people in a game in which people might have felt marginalised in, in the past.
"It's clear what we do is still really needed in 2025, if only to model what inclusivity means in football.
"We also have our allies.
"That's fantastic because it showcases how the game can look when we're fully inclusive both, in sport, and in wider society."
Who made it through?
After a series of tense games - one of which went down to the wire with a high-pressured shoot-out, and another seeing 13 goals scored - we'll be seeing Charlton Invicta FC, Mersey Marauders FC, London Falcons FC and Dublin Devils F.C. in the next round.
We'll find out the venue of the semi final and final in 2026.
They've launched ' the most comprehensive LGBTQIA+ football grassroots study - and you have until 31 December to have your say, which you can do via their website.
You can find out more about the GFSN on their Instagram page.
Read more: Josh Cavallo: gay football icon swaps A-League for the National League North