Think Before YOU
Chant:
TIME 4 CHANGE-NOW Exhibition
Hyde FC’s home fixture on 8tht December 2012
against Telford will see the Tigers once again team up with Just A Ball Game?
to provide an event day called ‘Think Before You Chant’ which has been funded
by the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF) grant : Good Practices Development.
The
funding is part of the EU project “Preventing and Fighting Homophobic Violence
and Intolerance in Sport – Pride in Sport” funded by the European Commission
(DG Education and Culture – Sport unit).
The ‘Think Before You Chant’ initiative will also be a joint
venture with its originators AFC Rusden
and Diamonds who will be having a “Think Before You Chant “ Day early next year.
The match ball sponsorship for the game will taken up by
Just a Ball Game?
This follows the celebration of World Aids Day on Dec 1st when and this day was recognised with a red
ribbon being provided to everyone who attended the fixture against Woking, and match ball sponsorship for the Hyde FC side.
The Hyde manager and coaching staff will wear special
football HIV Sport badges for the match.
The days events will also show case for the first time to a sporting public another of Just a Ball Game?’s partnerships this time with Olympics legacy anti-homophobia exhibition project:
TIME FOR CHANGE-NOW EXHIBITION
The project was initiated by chance as an
outcome of a consultation meeting to discuss preparations for the Olympic Torch
passing through Bournemouth. Andrew Williams, Manager of the Safer and Stronger
Communities Team at Bournemouth Borough Council, and Alan Mercel-Sanca
(chairperson of a Dorset-based multicultural learning society and a trustee of
Dorset Race Equality Council) discussing the multicultural preparations for the
event. At the conclusion it was suggested that the LGBT population is, along
with its ethnic communities and retired population, one of Bournemouth’s major
distinctive communities, and it would therefore be good to have it represented
in some meaningful way on the day.
Alan began
to structure the project in October 2011and in particular to create thematic
articles around key topics; the material taking shape over ten months and
involving extensive research and the development of a valuable one-stop
supportive links resource (found on the Appendix PDF and on the second section
of the Using the Resource page.
Just a Ball Game? Organisation
anti-discrimination in sport partnership initiative
Campaigning organisation Just A Ball Game? looks at homophobia and other issues faced by
Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT ) people who participate in varying
ways in football and other sports is proud to be a supporter and delivery
partner for the ANTI-HOMOPHOBIA IN SPORT EXHIBITION project.
Sport as a whole at present only touches on
diversity and inclusion for those who identify as LGBT, and although a number
of LGBT people are involved in sport at grass roots level are ‘out’ to family,
friends, team mates and club officials, those who participate at elite level
and are ’out’ publically are few and far between.
Founding director of Just A Ball Game? Lindsay
England says: “We hope to make use of the wonderful and dynamic exhibition as
part of our on-going campaign work to raise awareness around homophobia and
help mainstream sport to be more inclusive of a number of diversity issues and
help create a safe space for both LGBT people and those who are perceived to be
‘lgbt’ to achieve their potential. The education element of this exhibition
encourages an understanding of issued faced by LGBT people and at the same time
highlights role models for a younger generation to aspire too. We at Just A
Ball Game? would like to thank Alan Mercel-Sanca and the final year students of
Bournemouth and Poole Collage for their inspiring efforts in the creation of
these panels.”
Just A Ball Game? Would also wish to acknowledge
the support and funding for this event from : Preventing and Fighting Homophobic Violence and Intolerance in
Sport – Pride in Sport” funded by the European Commission (DG Education and
Culture – Sport unit).
