The gay football team in question are HotScots FC. They have played only three matches so far, but managed to beat an English side, the London Leftfooters, and will represent Scotland in the gay world cup this August. Roll over James McFadden and tell Smeato the news, the HotScots are national heroes in the making.

I meet them in Edinburgh. It's wild outside, the sort of night when the wind seems to shove past as if late for an appointment. Arthur's Seat is a dark mass in silhouette, the low moon and storm-tossed clouds creating a flickering glow behind the hill. On the grass of The Meadows, crocuses poke up like periscopes. One of the prejudices against gay men playing football is that they are too weedy for such an aggressive sport, but anyone who turns out to train in this weather cannot be a shrinking violet.

The Meadows has been one of Edinburgh's most popular parks since the mid-18th century. Both Hearts and Hibs played their first games here, and the first derby between the two took place in the park on Christmas Day, 1875. As a crucible of footballing history, this place has form.

HotScots train on Thursday nights and play on Sundays, sometimes against regular Scottish teams, sometimes taking on squads from the gay league in England. Within the team, which also welcomes straight players, there's a debate about whether it is best to concentrate on playing gay sides, or whether bigotry is countered more effectively by taking on teams that are not defined by the sexuality of the players.

Tonight they are working on fitness and ball skills such as shooting and accurate passing, trying to correct weaknesses before the weekend's match; none of the HotScots are good with their head.

They are, however, well named. As physical types they run more to Beckham than Rooney, although one Irish player, 27-year-old Seamus Kealey, has a dark, brooding Roy Keane thing going on.

The team was formed in February 2007 by Kev Rowe, a charity fundraiser and Aston Villa fan, after moving to Edinburgh from Leeds. He had played for a gay team, the Yorkshire Terriers, and decided Scotland could do with something similar, so set about recruiting players through the pink press. He also contacted Scotland's gay rugby club, the Caledonian Thebans, and from there recruited JP Clarke, a 29-year-old primary school and PE teacher who has become the HotScots' star striker.

"I left the rugby team straight away because football is my passion," says Clarke. "For me, this is a social thing. It's easy for me to talk to people on the team about my life, to say: 'I was out last night with my partner.' You wouldn't have that with a regular team. Many people have a funny idea about what it means to be gay. They don't realise we can play sport."

Many straight men will suffer from wives and girlfriends who cannot understand their love of the beautiful game, and there's something similar within gay culture, in which football remains a minority interest. It's rare to find a gay bar showing football, possibly because the sport is seen as being macho, even homophobic. Take, for instance, the Hearts terrace chant, 'All the Hibees are gay' sung to the tune of 'Seven Nation Army'. You aren't going to find it pleasant at games if thousands of people use your sexuality as a term of abuse.

HotScots FC provides a shelter from all that. "We have players who played for regular teams and they found it isolating being the only gay player on that team," says Rowe. "One of our players was spotted in a gay bar and later was asked outright in the changing room by the teammate that had seen him whether he was gay. He actually ended up denying it because he was put right on the spot. And he not only felt ashamed of that, he also thought: 'What business is it of yours to ask me?' That led to him leaving that team and joining us."

If it's hard for a man to come out to his pub team, imagine how much more difficult it must be if you are a top player in the closet. Out of the 5,000 professional footballers in the UK, none are openly gay. Justin Fashanu, who played for Nottingham Forest and Hearts, remains the only pro to have come out, and given that he committed suicide in 1998 his example cannot inspire confidence in other gay players who might consider going public.

That said, attitudes have changed a lot in 10 years. Kev Rowe says that if a top player came out now, they would encounter hostility from the terraces at first, but would eventually be accepted, especially if they were scoring goals, and would certainly blaze a trail for gay players, just as Viv Anderson and John Barnes did for a generation of black players. Rowe also believes that whoever came out first would bein line for lucrative sponsorship deals.

It's a tantalising vision of the future. Professional football, with its constant whirl of scandals, crises, rivalries and heartaches, is already a global circus. Imagine how much more entertaining it would be with open homosexuality thrown in the mix. Imagine, even, if two players on rival teams became star-cross'd lovers. We're talking Romeo And Juliet meets Match Of The Day.

In the meantime, Kev Rowe has plans for Scotland. It will probably not be long before there is a gay team in Glasgow, squads are starting in Aberdeen and Dundee, and the formation of a Scottish league is probably only a couple of years away. Just one last question then: why on earth did he call his team HotScots FC?

"Naff as it may be, it stuck in my head," Rowe laughs. "The best name I ever heard, though, was a team in Liverpool called Fairies Cross The Mersey."

Source: Scotland on Sunday

Special thanks to Cocoa Rose Photography for provision of images, and Home Tuition Scotland for educational direction.

30 years on from her death, lesbians from around the globe will come together on the pitch to celebrate her brilliant life of this star of the game.

The Lily Parr Exhibition Trophy will be held in Regents Park on Saturday 9th February 2008 as part of LGBT History Month.

The event, and a small exhibition at the Hub in Regents Park documenting the Football Association's 1921 ban on women playing in FA grounds, have been arranged through Camden LGBT Forum in conjunction with Islington LGBT Forum.

The FA's ban of women's football lasted for 50 years.

An internationally mixed team from London Lesbian Kickabouts will play a French lesbian team, Paris' Arc En Ciel, for the Lily Parr Exhibition Trophy.

Possible additional participation from a Spanish lesbian team, Panteres Grogues, awaits final confirmation.

The event is supported by the Lorraine Bowen Experience, who will end the day of lesbian football with an appearance at the after-match reception in the Black Cap pub in Camden.

Kick-off is at 3pm on Saturday 9th February at The Hub, located at the Zoo end of Regents Park, near Primrose Hill Bridge/Avenue Road.

For more information on Lily Parr


Special thanks to Cocoa Rose Photography for provision of images.

For football players and fans alike, they currently organise sporting and social events centred around football.

For more information see their new website

Eleven-a-side debut for gay football team
Scotland's only gay football club are preparing for their first 11-a-side game.

The Edinburgh-based HotScots FC now boasts 75 members, less than a year after it was set up.

They are going to take on Haddington Select in a friendly match at Aubigny Sports Centre.

Chairman and founder Kevin Rowe said: "This will be instrumental in our preparation for the Gay World Cup in August.

"By playing local teams, we can break down barriers surrounding homophobia in sport and dispel a few myths that gay people and football simply do not mix."

A Haddington Select spokesman said: "It's all football at the end of the day, and there's no reason why it can't be enjoyed by everyone."

Source : Edinburgh Evening News, Jan 2008


Gay players set friendlies goal
Scotland'S only gay and lesbian football team has taken part in its first tournament.

The HotScots, founded by Kevin Rowe from Edinburgh, joined teams from around the country for the Leicester tournament. Although they didn't make it past the group stages, Mr Rowe was happy with the team's progress.

"It was fantastic that after only six months we were able to take part yet alone compete," he said.

"This was the first time we'd ever played together as a team, and with many games in quick succession, I think we proved we have something to build on and will only get better.

"We have now made many contacts within the English gay footballing community and will be welcoming several teams to Edinburgh for friendlies over the coming months."

Source : Edinburgh Evening News, Sept 2007


Hot Scots FC - Scotland's first all-gay football team
They may have to get used to jokes about playing for the other side.

But a group of footballers from the Capital are challenging the traditional stereotypes by forming Scotland's first all-gay team.

Hotscots FC regularly play in five-a-side tournaments in Edinburgh and are now planning to compete against other gay teams based in England.

Their closest away game would be against the Yorkshire Terriers, based in Leeds. They could also travel south to tackle GFC Bournemouth and the London Leftfooters.



Kevin Rowe set up Hotscots FC, which now has around 20 players, in February and he already has set his sights on the gay World Cup in 2008 in London.

The 34-year-old, of Leith Walk, played for the Yorkshire Terriers before moving to Edinburgh last year to work as a fundraiser for the Scottish SPCA.

A keen footballer since his school days, he said some gay players felt "uncomfortable" and had suffered discrimination in other teams.
He said: "It's for gay people who like football, but who feel a little intimidated playing in straight teams. The social side is very important.

"Football players can be very testosterone-fuelled. There will be people who feel a bit uncomfortable about being the only gay one on the team. Some of them feel they have to keep it secret. It's nice to have an environment where it's not a big deal.

"I've never had any problems, although there's obviously a lot of banter. I know players who have suffered abuse. "We'd like to play friendly games with gay teams in England. There's a fair few down there."

The team wear navy blue strips with a red-orange logo featuring a lion, and are currently looking for sponsorship. They play at Gracemount Leisure Centre, but the 11-a-side team would move on to a full-size pitch at Meadowbank.

The team hopes to follow the success of the Caledonian Thebans, Edinburgh's gay rugby club who play competitively around Scotland, as well as taking on the UK's two other gay rugby teams.

John Paul Clarke, 28, a teacher from Meadowbank, was one of the first players to join. He also plays for the Caledonian Thebans. He said: "I'd just moved to Edinburgh, and I felt uncomfortable about coming out to people. If people don't know you, it can be quite difficult for them to accept you. It's a great social atmosphere, and you don't feel pressurised about your sexuality."

Jane Carnall, information officer for the Edinburgh-based gay rights group, the Equality Network, said many gay sportsmen and women still faced discrimination. She welcomed the new team, saying they would help raise awareness and challenge stereotypes. She said: "I think there's still a kind of unspoken discrimination. There's a stereotype of what gay men should be like and football and rugby players don't fit that stereotype.

"There have been some terrible incidents in the past of football players being outed, and having their careers damaged.

"In some groups there can be social discrimination. Many people may not feel comfortable about talking about their social lives with team mates."

Source: The Edinburgh Evening News, June 2007


Special thanks to Cocoa Rose Photography for provision of images.

They should win the approval of parliament with the backing of the Liberal Democrats, bringing Scotland into line with the rest of the UK.

But the Tories criticised the move, saying it would make "some more equal than others" in the eyes of the law.

Mr Harvie's Sentencing of Offences Aggravated by Prejudice (Scotland) Bill will be taken forward in early 2008.

It aims to strengthen the law to protect disabled people and those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities by extending statutory aggravations to cover crimes motivated by malice or ill will towards victims.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said no-one should be targeted because of their sexual orientation or disability, adding: "While good government needs a clear vision, we must also deal decisively with immediate problems.

"To do otherwise would compromise public safety."

Mr Harvie said the justice system was oblivious to the motivation behind hate crimes against disabled people and the gay community.

The bill, he added, would allow records of such incidents to be kept for the first time, ensuring that the progress on reducing attacks could be monitored.

"We want to see a Scotland where these offences are made a thing of the past and where all Scots are treated with dignity and respect," said Mr Harvie.

Conservative justice spokesman Bill Aitken said attacks on gay people were serious issues already recognised by judges and sheriffs.

"In Scotland, we pride ourselves in the fact that we are all equal in the eyes of the law but some it now seems are more equal than others, which cannot be right," he said.

The bill has also been backed by the Scottish human rights commissioner, the Equality Network, the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland and a number of Labour MSPs.

Source: BBC News Jan 2008



Special thanks to Cocoa Rose Photography for provision of images.

Batkov was reported as saying, “This British homosexual broke the game,” referring to the English referee, Mike Riley, who halted the game after Sofia fans persistently racially abused Schalke’s Gerald Asamoah. The EGLSF and the English FA both independently raised a complaint with EUFA over Batkov’s offensive outburst.

Sanctioned
UEFA has suspended Batkov for 2 UEFA club competitions and fined him €3,200, whereas his club receives a €35,000 fine for the misconduct of its fans.

The UEFA disciplinary body stated, “The president of Levski Sofia obviously misjudges the meaning of this statement that was not only insulting, but also discriminatory, as it treated one person or a group worse than other without any acceptable reason and was meant to appear as negative value judgement on an individual.”

Sending out a signal
With homophobia in football still being a very taboo subject, campaigners can only hope that UEFA’s decision to confront it on this occasion will dissuade others from making such discriminatory gaffs in future.

Johan van de Ven, of FARE partner EGLSF commented, “Refering to people as gay, whether true or not, is discriminating gays in general. UEFA is taking homophobic behaviour seriously and I am glad for that. This is definitely a good sign.”


www.uefa.com


Special thanks to Cocoa Rose Photography for provision of images.