Rainbow Rovers match at Whitehawk FC in Brighton part of FA-backed mixed-gender football for adults pilot scheme

Efforts to make football more inclusive through the provision of mixed-gender matches for adults will be advanced at a special event in Brighton on Saturday.

Non-league Whitehawk FC will again host a 'Football United' fixture featuring its affiliated Rainbow Rovers side made up of LGBTQ+ players and allies drawn from inclusive clubs across the UK.

As in the first such encounter held in August 2019, Rovers will take on an 'All-Stars' team - the opposition this weekend features former England, Liverpool, and Manchester City goalkeeper David James.

Sussex County FA have partnered on the event and added the match itself to an ongoing pilot scheme, backed by the Football Association. The aim is to increase opportunities for mixed-gender football, removing barriers that affect some men, women, and non-binary people who want to be active in the sport but find it difficult to access.

Several new Olympic events at the Tokyo Games have recently raised awareness of mixed-gender sports for adults, with Great Britain claiming gold medals in the inaugural triathlon relay and swimming medley relay. Seven other additions to the schedule in Japan this summer have brought the total of mixed-gender events at these Olympic Games to 18.

Football has made some movements of its own in this area in the last few years. In England in 2014, Football Association shareholders voted to change the mixed-gender age limit for the national game from Under-15 to Under-16 in a bid to increase opportunities for girls. The limit was then raised again to Under-18 the following year.

UEFA asks each of its national associations annually to declare their own age limits for mixed-gender football, and in May - after a successful pilot - the Netherlands FA made a historic decision to allow women to play in senior men's amateur teams from the 2021/22 season onwards.

The Sussex County FA scheme is hoping to better identify the benefits that mixed-gender football brings for adults. Learnings have already been taken from LGBTQ+-inclusive teams operating outside of FA-approved competitions - for many years, these leagues have encouraged people to play regardless of gender identity, fostering spaces that are particularly welcoming to transgender and non-binary people who might otherwise feel that the sport is not for them.

One of the objectives behind the creation of Rainbow Rovers FC two years ago was to challenge perceptions and misconceptions about LGBTQ+ people in football. The Rovers side went on to win its 2019 match against a team of former professionals from the men's game.

Managed by Sophie Cook, who was the first trans woman to work in the Premier League, Rovers will this time look to score past 53-cap international James who will lead a side made up of players working in roles at county FAs and local clubs, or with the Whitehawk FC team sponsors, the energy supplier Utilita.

Sussex County FA chief executive Ken Benham said: "We truly believe that football is 'For All', and as a county FA we're proud to be supporting Whitehawk FC and Rainbow Rovers.

"The work they have done already to help increase awareness of LGBTQ+ inclusion in football has been amazing, and with The FA now confirming the event as a mixed adult football pilot, it will help increase awareness further and we are delighted to be part of this fantastic event."

Sammy Walker will take to the pitch for Rovers on Saturday and is encouraged to learn that the match has been selected for the scheme. A former Academy player, she returned to 11-a-side football in 2019 after time away from the game during which she transitioned. She would only take part in occasional, casual kickabouts back then - now she turns out for LGBTQ+-inclusive club Bristol City Panthers, following a spell at Soho FC in London in which she rediscovered her passion for playing.

Walker also advocates for greater trans inclusion in football, sport and wider society in her role as a consultant for The Diversity Trust, a community interest company dedicated to social change. Drawing on her own experience, she says there are several benefits to mixed-gender sports. "First and foremost, I find it's the best atmosphere to play in," she tells Sky Sports.

"Socially, I think it can really help to break down some of the prevailing toxicity that still exists in parts of football culture, and challenge stereotypes.

"Clubs like Soho FC and Bristol City Panthers are honestly the best mix of fair competition and inclusion available, as it stands. You very quickly see that skill level and experience of playing count for much more than anything else, and that just because someone has a certain chromosomal makeup, presents a certain way, or is attracted to a certain type of person, it doesn't make them a lesser player."

'The most inclusive spaces possible'

The historic decision in the Netherlands to allow women to play adult amateur football in men's teams came after a season-long trial in which 19-year-old Ellen Fokkema continued to turn out for her local club VV Foarut in the village of Menaam in the north of the country. Covid restricted Foarut's campaign to just seven games but it was deemed that enough data and research had been secured from Fokkema's substitute appearances to make an evaluation.

In recent months, there has been worldwide media interest in Fokkema's story, as well as that of former Japan international striker Yuki Nagasoto - once of Chelsea - who returned to her homeland on loan last year to play for men's team Hayabusa Eleven, more than holding her own.

In such instances, concerns are often raised over whether there might be an increased risk of injury for women and/or non-binary players, and if players such as Fokkema and Nagasoto could be at a substantial disadvantage. Yet in the Dutch pilot, the balance of evidence pointed strongly towards approval for mixed-gender football. "We want girls and women to find a suitable place in the football landscape based on their qualities and their own ambitions," said KNVB director of amateur football Jan Dirk van der Zee.

Walker hopes the pilot scheme in England helps to shift thinking at county FA level and in turn, allows more women and non-binary people to access levels of football appropriate to their abilities, particularly those players finding themselves in circumstances that are more challenging due to location, lack of funding, or an individual's gender identity.

"Amateur football should be fun and available to everyone that wants to play," says Walker. "I'm really pleased to see the KNVB in Holland adopting a mixed-gender system from next year, and I hope the FA follows suit.

"In terms of player development, why wouldn't we allow the best amateur players to play for the best amateur teams based on their ability? That just seems like common sense to me.

"I also think it can help to bridge the funding gap. Opportunity has always been higher for men's sports, from grassroots to professional level. Mixing genders at an amateur level is the quickest and most meaningful step to provide more equal opportunities. It's not ideal, but it's a step in the right direction.

"Gendered sports are also a problem for trans people. Although the guidelines on where you can play in FA-regulated football as a binary trans person are fairly clear, the atmosphere - particularly for trans women in women's sports - can be hostile and non-inclusive.

"It's also worth noting that non-binary people are generally forced to play in non-inclusive environments just so they can actually play at all. It all adds up to the fact that welcoming mixed-gender environments are the most inclusive spaces possible."

In the dugout at Whitehawk's TerraPura Ground on Saturday, Cook will be assisted by Charlton Invicta FC's player-coach Gary Ginnaw, while the Rainbow Rovers squad also includes players from Soho FC, London Titans FC, and the BLAGGS clubs in Brighton. The match will be refereed by Stonewall Sport Champion Ryan Atkin, the first professional official in the UK men's game to come out publicly as gay.

Cook has fond memories of the 2019 match held on Brighton Pride weekend when Rovers beat the ex-pro 'All-Stars' and is keen to grow the team and the project. "For our players, many of whom had expressed difficulty being involved in the game previously due to their sexuality or gender identity, it was the experience of a lifetime to walk onto the pitch at Whitehawk alongside players that they had followed for their entire lives.

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"Since I came out as trans at AFC Bournemouth back in 2015, the game has taken great strides forward towards LGBTQ+ inclusion with support from all levels. Unfortunately, there is still more to do and I hope that Rainbow Rovers plays a small part in showing people that bigotry and abuse within the beautiful game is unacceptable, and that football really is for all."

Walker missed out in 2019 due to injury and has had to wait patiently for her chance to pull on the Rovers shirt, part of an eco-friendly kit designed by the artist David Shrigley OBE.

"I feel so lucky to have the chance to be a part of it!" she adds. "I'm really looking forward to playing alongside so many people I admire.

"Rainbow Rovers offers the most diverse team in the UK, made up of the top allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community. I'm sure all in attendance will come out of it proud to have played a small part in furthering inclusion, and extending equal opportunity, in the beautiful game we all know and love."

'Football United 2' is being held at Whitehawk FC's TerraPura Ground in east Brighton from 1.30pm on Saturday, with the match kicking off at 3pm. The event is supported by the Football Supporters' Association, Kick It Out, Football v Homophobia, and Sports Media LGBT+. For further information, visit RainbowRovers.org.

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