Towards an LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Football Culture
Despite the Netherlands’ reputation as a model country with regards to LGBTIQ+ rights, the football world is an arena where LGBTIQ+ acceptance lags behind. With only two official LGBTIQ+ fan clubs, the ‘Roze Règâhs’ and ‘Roze Kameraden’, affiliated with ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord respectively, and countless incidents of homophobia, there is a need for more acceptance and inclusivity in football. Homophobia in football culture remains a serious issue, as seen by the challenges faced by the Roze Kameraden. The lack of officially recognised LGBTIQ+ fan clubs around most Dutch clubs raises questions about the overall acceptance of LGBTIQ+ people in football.
With this panel programme, we will discuss barriers for LGBTIQ+ fan clubs, problems and solutions to homophobia in football and learn from activists in other countries working on similar challenges. Join us and contribute towards building an inclusive culture.
Programme:
20:00 Setting the scene
20:10 Panel Dutch landscape LGBTQI football supporter groups
20:45 Panel UK landscape LGBTQI football supporter groups
21:30 Q&A
21:45 Closing remarks
Bio Speakers:
Rishi Madlani is an LGBT+ Champion across his professional and political career as well as in his local community.Rishi is Co-Chair of Pride in Football the umbrella group of LGBT+ fan groups which seeks to improve LGBT+ experiences around football and an active committee member of Foxes Pride, the LGBT+ fan group for Leicester City Football Club.In his other LGBT+ work, he’s previously chaired workplace LGBT+ networks and is actively involved with Unite the Union and Unison’s LGBT+ campaigns. Additionally, Rishi is the Camden LGBT+ Champion where he is a Councillor.Rishi was thrilled to win the British LGBT+ Awards Inspirational Leader Award in 2022.
James Laley has been a Sheffield United fan for over 15 years and set up & has been the chair of Rainbow Blades for almost 4 years. He is a season ticket holder and has worked on many campaigns to help make Bramall Lane and football more inclusive. He is very proud that Rainbow Blades won the Fans for Diversity award at the Football Supporters’ Association awards in 2022 and him personally finishing runner up in the Hero category at the Football v Homophobia awards in 2024.
Renate den Heijer is One of the initiators of and one of the driving forces behind the LGBTQI+/ pink supporters’ club of ADO Den Haag, the Roze Règâhs, founded on 17 July 2013. And Trans ambassador of Transgender Netwerk Nederland. Renate has worked at the Municipality of The Hague since 1979, where she is a programme officer in the Opportunities for West/Europe and Funds team of the Economics Department. This is part of the Urban Development Department. Renate calls herself a woman with a transgender past. She had her coming out at work in 2002. Since then, her colleagues have been incrementally involved in her transition journey. In January 2005, she appeared at work as Renate and gender-affirming surgery took place in 2007.
Houssin Bezzai came to the Netherlands at a young age and made his debut in Dutch professional football for Sparta on 7 November 1999 in a match against Ajax. He played his last professional game on 14 April 2006 for Haarlem in a match against FC Zwolle. After his retirement from professional football (August 2006), Bezzai joined the amateurs of Ter Leede. He was a Moroccan youth international and won the African Cup of Nations under 20 in 1997. After his football career, Bezzai co-founded Sport United, which focuses on organising events and career guidance for athletes, among other things. The company also guides (vulnerable) young people with education and employment advice. Since March 2020, Houssin Bezzai has been the programme manager for racism and discrimination at the KNVB.
Paul van Dorstis president of the Roze Kameraden, Feyenoord’s LGBT+ fan club founded in 2021. Paul is in his daily life social entrepreneur who advocates equal opportunities for all, using sport as a tool for better social cohesion.