The Experiences of Bisexual Soccer Fans in the UK: Inclusion, Engagement, and Digital Lives

Abstract

Although sport has traditionally been a toxic environment for sexual minorities, recent research has shown greater levels of inclusivity. Building on a growth of recent research on typically marginalized groups of sports fans – including women, racial minorities, and some sexual minorities – this research examines the experiences of English bisexual soccer fans. To do so, I draw on semi-structured interviews with 25 bisexual fans (14 cisgender men and 11 cisgender women) of a range of English soccer clubs. Findings indicate that English soccer stadia have become a more inclusive climate for bisexual fans. This was best evidenced by a growth of LGBT visibility through the formation of dedicated fan groups, as well as the general decline of anti-LGBT chanting. Despite the decline of abuse inside stadia, however, these fans spoke of how the proliferation of social media has provided an alternative platform for discrimination. Accordingly, these fans’ experiences of consuming soccer through social media differ significantly from their experiences inside sports stadia.

Keywords:

• Sport
• bisexuality
• sexualities
• LGBT
• soccer
• football
• fandom

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to Peter Stott, Sam Peters, Jay Willson, Monet Nakamura, and Joseph Bou Nassif.

Notes

1 Most elite soccer clubs have an ‘Academy’ aligned to them. This is typically where the most talented soccer players within a geographical region are recruited from a young age, before being trained with the intention of one day appearing for the club’s main men’s team (i.e., the team that competes in the EPL or EFL in front of thousands of spectators).

2 In English soccer, the vast majority of elite clubs compete either in the EPL (one division with 20 clubs) or EFL (three divisions, each with 24 clubs). Annual promotion or relegation occurs in each of these divisions, based on clubs’ success during the respective season.

3 This figure has grown rapidly since Arsenal became the first elite English club to recognize its LGBT Fan Group, the Gay Gooners (a play on words of the club’s nickname).

4 This included representatives from core organizations such as the EPL, EFL, the FA (English soccer’s national governing body), Twitter, and Facebook.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rory Magrath

Rory Magrath is the author of Inclusive Masculinities in Contemporary Football: Men in the Beautiful Game (Routledge, 2017) and coauthor of Out in Sport: The Experiences of Openly Gay and Lesbian Athletes in Competitive Sport (Routledge, 2016. He is currently Associate Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Sport, Health and Social Sciences at Solent University, Southampton. His research focuses on decreasing homophobia and the changing nature of contemporary masculinities, with a specific focus on elite football in the UK.