'Think before you Chant'

Think Before YOU Chant: 

TIME 4 CHANGE-NOW Exhibition

Hyde FC December 8th

 

 

 Hyde FC’s home fixture on 8th^t 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 1^st  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).