Ahead of Saturday's Football v Homphobia themed matchday at The Valley, Charlton fan, Roger Hutton explained why he is involved.
Football is, of course, the beautiful game.
I’ve been entranced by it since my youngest days. It provides a common, almost universal language. And whether you like the game or not, it runs through our national culture like letters through a stick of rock.
My team is Charlton Athletic. I started supporting Charlton not long after we moved to the area – about 20 years ago now. We’ve had many ups and downs over that period. You never know you’re living through a golden age while you’re in it, and that was how it was with our spell in the Premiership during the 2000s. Since then, well, being a football supporter has been a lesson in life, from which I think I’ve learned a lot.
Charlton has a brilliant reputation as a community club. It does an immense amount locally (have a look at the Charlton Upbeats), but it is also vocal on wider diversity and inclusion issues. In particular, it supports the Football v Homophobia (FvH) initiative. February marks the FvH Month of Action, and Charlton’s LGBT+ supporters group, the Proud Valiants, is taking a lead.
I’m a member of the Proud Valiants. I have been for a few years now, since I saw an advert in a match programme and got in touch.
I’m not LGBT+ myself, but what’s known as an ‘ally’. I did my Stonewall allies training a few years ago, and went on to become LGBT+ champion for the government department in which I worked. It seemed only natural to extend my ‘ally-ship’ from my professional into my personal life, and where better than in support of my beloved football club?
Why did I think this was important?
I was already aware that LGBT+ people faced certain challenges both in the workplace and wider life – challenges that heterosexuals simply don’t. No heterosexual I know, for example, has had to listen to off-colour ‘jokes’ about their sexuality. No heterosexual I know has faced outright hostility because of their orientation. No heterosexual I know has felt the need to invent a personal backstory to avoid awkward ‘what did you do at the weekend?’ questions on a Monday morning.
I was lucky to work in an organisation that took these issues seriously, and the high point was marching at the 2017 London Pride with colleagues. I had never experienced such an outpouring of joy on the capital’s streets as that day, with around a million people lining the route, and it remains seared in my memory.
Being there for LGBT+ friends is perhaps even more important in the world of football. Most football supporters now, I think, understand the unacceptability of racism on the terraces, but I don’t feel that the same message has quite been taken on board about homophobia. There isn’t a single ‘out’ footballer in any of the four English professional leagues, and there have only been a handful of exceptions in the past, mostly after retiring from the game. This must in part reflect the potentially hostile reception LGBT+ players fear on coming out.
It’s little better for LGBT+ fans, who sometimes feel uncomfortable and even intimidated at games. I’ve heard homophobic chants on the terraces from time to time, which I think reflects the fact that some people still seem to regard homophobia as the acceptable form of ‘ism’. It isn’t. The beautiful game is for everyone, regardless of their sexuality – or for that matter, their disability, ethnicity, gender, religion or belief.
I love being a Proud Valiant. I find myself part of a group of people who really know and love their football. They’ve made me feel very welcome, being as inclusive towards me as the game needs to be towards them. We have pre-match Zoom calls to discuss the prospects for the game, the formation the manager’s chosen and the likely tactics, when we can expect to get injured players back, the possible acquisitions in each transfer window, and so on. We all share a passion for the game, and we’re all there for each other.
And again, I’m proud to be associated with a club that’s taking a lead in tackling homophobia. It’s what football – and the ‘football family’ we hear about – should be at its heart. Matchday is about living in the moment, but beyond that it’s about community more than anything.
And if you want to be a part of FvH, you’ll find the details here and at the end of this blog post. I’m helping with an evening at which we have LGBT+ supporters groups from across the globe (Australia, the US, France (the national team’s group) and Germany (Bayern Munich)) at which we’re going to share impressions and experiences. The formal FvH launch is on Saturday.
Do join us – it’ll be great.
Proud Valiants FvH events this week are as follows:
Wednesday, January 27th at 7.30pm – Is football currently a safe and welcoming environment for Transgender people? An open and frank discussion regarding trans representation in sport and whether the community feels sports and football in general is a welcoming arena. Our panel participants come from a variety of backgrounds – including both trans people in football and allies – who are keen to share their stories and ideas as well as take questions from the audience.
Thursday, January 28th at 7.30pm – LGBT+ Football supporters groups around the world. An international panel speak about their experiences in setting up LGBT+ supporters groups and the relationships they have with their clubs. Panellists are from the US, France, Germany, Australia and of course the UK.
Saturday, January 30th at 7pm – Post match reception and launch of the Football versus Homophobia Month of Action. Representatives of the Club, The Charlton Athletic Community Trust, Proud Valiants and wider Charlton family join together to celebrate the advances we have made in the battle against homophobia at Charlton, and what else needs to be done.
Saturday, January 30th at 8.30pm – The Worst Football Songs …Ever !!! Join our panel of experts as they review some of the greatest musical crimes ever unleashed on an unsuspecting public, and cast your vote for the worst song. Panellists include Charlton Legend and Proud Valiants Patron Paul Mortimer; Lindsay Armaou from the iconic girl band B*witched; top London comedy performer Caryl Smallman; and vocal coach and West End musical director Tom Turner.
All events are bookable in advance here.