Belfast Blaze FC breaking down the barriers for the LGBTQ+ community in football – Belfast Live
Meet the Belfast LGBTQ+ football team that are campaigning for inclusivity and are tackling the toxic masculinity often associated with the sport.
Belfast Blaze Football Club arose in 2019 after founding member Dominic Tierney returned home to Northern Ireland after living in England and noticed a lack of social activities in Belfast for the LGBT community.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Dominic said: “I found there wasn’t a lot going on in Belfast for the LGBT community outside of drinking and I was quite shocked as every other major city I had lived in had loads of LGBTQ sports and social clubs for people to get involved in.
“In August 2019 I reached out to The Rainbow Project and asked was there anything like that and they told me there wasn’t but put me in contact with David who had contacted them about the same thing.
“We came up with the idea of a football club as I had been a part of setting up other LGBT sports clubs across the UK.”
What started off as just a causal kick about between Dominic and David has now flourished into a thriving football club which has over 200 online members on its Facebook page in just two years.
“It’s gone from just being a social aspect where people can come together in a very safe and inclusive way to also having a bit of a competitive element.
“We’ve gone down to Dublin and played against Dublin Devils which are a long-established LGBT club and we beat them on our first match out,” he explained.
He added: “Growing up at gay males in our communities of Northern Ireland and Portugal, there wasn’t an opportunity to play that sport in an inclusive way when we were growing up.
“We have people from across the religious divide, all members of the LGBT community, people with intellectual disabilities – we are all-inclusive so have straight friends and allies who come and play and support too.”
As the club secretary, Dominic hopes this is only just the beginning of the team and they can continue to grow and be that welcoming space for everyone in the community.
He said: “Working within the NHS and social care profession, I see us taking it further forward and it becoming a community outreach to young men and women in colleges who enjoy sport but feel ostracised.
“It has been a huge success for us so far but we will have work to do as Northern Ireland has been a very secular and close-minded area so it feels good to move away from.”
Head coach Aaron Adams described how there is a “great social vibe” in Belfast Blaze FC and how they have welcomed the ongoing support from the IFA and their sponsors Pride Sports UK.
Aaron said: “The club offers people in the LGBTQ+ community a safe space to play and know that you’ll be welcomed and you can partake in a sport that historically has had quite an exclusive feel to it, especially for gay men.
“Within men’s football, there is not one openly gay active professional so there aren’t any role models there for other guys going forward so we want to have a space where they can play a sport they maybe feel they haven’t been able to be a part of before.”
He continued: “On the football pitch there are words that are thrown around and we have done a good job of trying to tackle the likes of racism and sectarianism in football but not enough on homophobia.
“Words that are derogatory to gay men are used willy-nilly on the pitch and we are trying to build a better understanding through the club.”
With over 30 active members who attend either their Monday night social kick about or Thursday night more competitive training, Aaron explained it is open to all abilities and has members from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum including gay women and transgender players.
“To be part of a club where they know there is not going to be a relentless banter about their sexuality is so important for them – we have lads who play regular Saturday league football and they’ll be known as the gay guy in the club but here, their sexuality isn’t their defining trait,” he added.
Chris McGrath is the vice-chairman of Belfast Blaze and has been involved in the club for the last 18 months.
He said: “I had seen the Belfast Blaze Instagram page so I sent a message to see what was going and they invited me to come along to one of the initial kickabouts.
“I played football when I was younger but I didn’t always feel like I fitted in with the whole macho environment at the time and fell out of the way with it so when I saw the club, I thought it would be a great way of getting back into it.
“I always enjoyed playing football and I knew I would make good friends from it so I went along and the rest is history.”
Chris expressed how it “feels amazing” to be on the right side of history in Northern Ireland by doing something that you love.
“You do feel a real sense of pride when you’re stepping out onto the pitch and it feels really great that you a representing the community in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“It makes you feel welcome and it’s great to know that you are going up against the stigma that still surrounds the sport.”
The club’s long term goal is to get into a league and compete regularly but Chris hopes they can go even further.
“We’re still finding our feet but it is certainly moving in the right direction at the moment and one of my goals would be to get us to a league or go to the likes of the Gay World Cup which would be absolutely incredible.”
If you would like more information on Belfast Blaze FC, see here.