US EditionWhy women’s soccer is so important to queer people
Women’s soccer offers visible LGBTQ+ role models and inclusive events like Ball Together Now, with over 20% of players out at the 2025 Women’s Euros, fostering community and activism.
- In recent years, Ball Together Now has held three summer editions in Manchester, hosting non-professional women's and marginalized-gender teams and featuring the 'Blind Date' festival event.
- Historic restrictions on the women's game left women in England banned from Football League grounds for 50 years, while Greater London Authority data shows over half of LGBTQ+ venues closed, making women's soccer an alternative social space.
- Of 368 players at the tournament, PinkNews counted at least 78 out players, meaning over 20% were out compared with a 3% average in the Ipsos 2023 survey.
- Studs and fan collectives have created crossover events blending soccer and queer nightlife, while grassroots clubs like Flaming Foxes offer third spaces for non-drinkers and new fans.
- As the sport grows, the women's game sets attendance and viewership records, and fans say it remains a joyous, radical space for queer people despite ongoing challenges.
3 Articles
3 Articles
Why women’s soccer is so important to queer people
By Hannah Ryan, CNN (CNN) — Someone dressed as Marge Simpson, complete with a gigantic blue wig and a lime green dress, belts out “Hot to Go!” by pop icon Chappell Roan to a rapt audience gathered inside a marquee in the middle of a field in the north of England. There are several people in the large tent dressed as Keira Knightley’s character in “Bend it Like Beckham” – a movie beloved by queer people, and which is particularly popular with les…
Why women’s soccer is so important to queer people | News Channel 3-12
By Hannah Ryan, CNN (CNN) — Someone dressed as Marge Simpson, complete with a gigantic blue wig and a lime green dress, belts out “Hot to Go!” by pop icon Chappell Roan to a rapt audience gathered inside a marquee in the middle of a field in the north of England. There are several people in the large tent dressed as Keira Knightley’s character in “Bend it Like Beckham” – a movie beloved by queer people, and which is particularly popular with les…
Why women’s soccer is so important to queer people
Someone dressed as Marge Simpson, complete with a gigantic blue wig and a lime green dress, belts out Hot to Go by lesbian pop icon Chappell Roan to a rapt audience gathered inside a marquee in the middle of a field in the north of England.
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