Derby football fan sets up LGBTQ+ supporters’ group to tackle homophobia in the sport

Derby County fan, Connor Ffrench, has set up a new LGBTQ+ supporters’ group for fans of the football team, with the aim of tackling homophobia in the sport. Connor set up Rainbow Rams – named after the team’s mascot and the animal that gives Derby County its nickname the ‘Rams’ – to support football-lovers from within the LGBTQ+ community. He hopes that the group will not only provide safety and community for LGBTQ+ people but also bring an end to homophobic abuse in the stadium’s terraces.

Connor’s own love of the sport began with his father and grandfather, with whom he attended countless Rams games, travelling to the Baseball Ground, and then Pride Park, each week. He jokes that he had “no choice” but to become a Derby County fan. Connor set up Rainbow Rams in spring last year after the death of his father, Steve, left him bereft of the person he would speak to about Derby County and football the most.

"I realised that there were other people who would be in my situation, people who didn't have anyone to go to games with, people who want someone to speak to about football, especially in our community," said Connor (35), who himself is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Connor explains how the supporters group began: "It was actually at an event called Pride Park Pride, which was a football session set up by the community trust, where I met someone called Michelle Butler.

"We got talking and realised Derby doesn't have an LGBTQIA+ supporters’ group, and we knew we needed to do something about it."

They set up pages across social media, got in touch with the club and, since then, the Rainbow Rams group has continued to grow; joining the LGBTQIA+ Football Supporters' Group Alliance.

"This is an alliance between the whole region, with clubs in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire all coming together. I think it's when we joined the alliance that we realised just how big this is," added Connor.

"Derby needed this as a city. It's somewhere to go to if you need support, and somewhere to feel safe and welcome. But it's not just for the LGBTQIA+ community, it's also for parents and allies of the community - and anyone who is in need of that camaraderie when going to the football."

In February this year, Kick It Out and Football v Homophobia launched new a reporting relationship to tackle the rise in abuse directed towards the LGBTQ+ football community. The collaboration was announced after a record number of reports to Kick It Out at this stage of the season. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Kick It Out has received 845 reports of homophobia in football, making it the second most-reported form of discrimination behind racism. Kick It Out also reported that transphobic abuse has doubled in each of the last three completed seasons.

Kick It Out explain that “These statistics reflect Home Office data from last season that show a rise in the number of Premier League and EFL matches where anti-LGBTQ incidents were reported.”

Speaking about homophobia in the sport he loves, Connor Ffrench explained: "Across football, it's never disappeared, and I don't think it will disappear anytime soon.

"Demographics in football stadiums are changing. When I first came out, I felt a bit more unsafe going to games. There's that stigma in football, people being lad-ish and over-reliant on masculinity, whereas now we see a lot more different people coming to the match, including more women coming to the football.

"I've not seen a lot of abuse at Derby County, but in terms of experiences of homophobia, of course, I have seen it.

"When I go to the game, I'm quite a flamboyant person. When I'm there in a purple hat, you're going to hear whispers, you're going to get stares, and you'll see that at a lot of clubs.

"Some clubs still have chants with homophobic slurs, but a lot of this behaviour is being challenged nowadays.”

The Rainbow Rams have already begun working to tackle homophobic behaviour including putting posters up around Pride Park, with information on how to report abuse, and reminding people that there is zero tolerance for any abuse. The club also agreed to put a Rainbow Rams flag in the corner between the East Stand and the North Stand behind the goal.

You can find Rainbow Rams on Instagram: @rainbow_rams_dcfc for more information.