Happy 11th Birthday to JUST A BALL GAME?
November 9th 2021 marks JUST BALL GAME?’s 11th birthday, and a small refreshment and cake celebration was had with GMB North West & Irish colleagues and Blackpool mayor, councilor Amy Cross.
JUST A BALL GAME? (JBG?) was established originally under another name and as a blog in 2009. In response to the ever increasing amounts of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in football and others sports there quickly became a need to expand on the awareness and raise visibility of LGBT+ peoples participation in all areas of the sporting industry and a year later the non-profit organisation was created as it is today.
Lindsay said: “It’s amazing to reach this milestone. I would never have imagined when I first started the blog and then the campaign organisation that it would grow in the way it has.”
Tweleve months ago JBG? released documentation from their survey.
Some of the key findings are as follows:
1. Just over 73.30 percent of survey participants feel the need to participate in sport or leisure activities in a ‘safe space’ by being part of an LGBT+, or an LGBT+ friendly club or inclusive of all group.
O Only 58 out of 133 who responded to the question ‘’Do you feel satisfied with the responses you got when you reported the homophobia, biphobia or transphobia?’’ felt that the response they got after reporting the bigotry was satisfactory. This figure highlights the need for further sensitivity and improvements.
. Findings underline those across the survey in highlighting modest improvements in the landscape but still much work to be carried out given that the prevalence of LGBT+ discrimination continues to be high.
Former Everton and Wales goalkeeper (who is also a patron of JBG?) Neville Southall wrote as part of the foreward for the report: “As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community I find it sad that they are still finding that sport still has many barriers for them.”
JBG? have no core funding and exist on donations and small funding amounts. You can support the education work through purchase of resources here: http://www.justaballgame.co.uk/shop
