The power of inclusive sport
Next week we’re launching SupportUtd, our new football club for LGBTQIA+ people and allies. We’re really excited to bring SupportUtd to our community in the Thames Valley as the first of many new services and events we’ll launch in 2026, all of them offering safe spaces to participate in sports and physical activities, from dog walking to weightlifting.
Research tells us that sport and exercise makes people feel more confident, and more motivated to move, which leads to better mental and physical health. Everyone deserves the physical and mental health benefits of sport, but for many LGBTQIA+ people, joining a team isn’t a simple “just turn up” decision. Sport and exercise clubs can be brilliant for belonging, but intimidating when you don’t feel you belong.
Stonewall’s recent UK research found that around 1 in 4 LGBTQIA+ people don’t feel welcome in community sport groups or community team sports, and 1 in 5 who attended a live sporting event in the last year felt discriminated against because they’re LGBTQIA+. Members of our community often have several questions to ask themselves before joining a club:
Will the changing rooms feel safe?
Will I be misgendered, teased, or excluded?
Do I have to “tone myself down” to fit in?
What happens if someone on the team makes it hostile?
Stonewall also reports that 17% of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people have experienced homophobia or transphobia in sport, and 49% have witnessed it. That same data highlights how widely LGBTQ+ people perceive homophobia and transphobia as a barrier to participation.
And trans people can face even sharper risks. Guidance drawing on Stonewall’s “LGBT in Britain” findings notes that 28% of trans people reported discrimination while exercising at a fitness club or taking part in group sport (in the year prior to that study).
The drive for inclusion
Despite this data, we believe that all sports and exercise groups can encourage LGBTQIA+ members by really thinking about what makes and inclusive environment - the changes are often small but really powerful: clear standards on language and behaviour, backed up by action, welcoming first sessions (no pressure to already “be good”), thoughtful decisions regarding kit, names, pronouns, and how people are addressed, safer changing spaces (and respect for privacy) and coaches and volunteers who actively set the tone.
When these standards are in place, sport becomes what it should be: a place to build fitness, confidence, friendships, and joy.
SupportUtd: football, community, and belonging
SupportUtd has been built around these standards and we are grateful to our partners and coaches for helping us to uphold them. It’s a club for LGBTQIA+ people (and supportive allies) who want to move more, make friends and learn new skills, and it will sets the tone for all of our sports and exercise related services and events in 2026 - much more to come on that!
if you’d like to join us our sessions start next Wednesday at Goals, Reading, and we have some free taster spots available. S
Come along next week. Meet the team. Have a kickabout. Find your people.