The Fans for Diversity campaign is a partnership between the Football Supporters’ Association and Kick It Out. Its aim is simple – to celebrate diversity in football to ensure all fans feel safe and welcome at the game, regardless of; age, disability, gender, race, faith, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.
Football tribes, football colours and the love for your team – those are the only things which should separate one fan from another.
We understand the euphoria football can bring and the passion of being part of a community; shared experiences, the highs and the lows, all ‘in it’ together. We believe no one should feel excluded from something which connects people in a way nothing else can.
Led by FSA staff Hannah Kumari and Nilesh Chauhan the aim of the Fans for Diversity campaign is to support and empower people to enjoy a fantastic matchday experience – to overcome exclusion or a perception of exclusion, to engage clubs and other supporters to welcome those who might believe football is for ‘them’ not ‘me’.
This is not about sanitising the game and taking away what makes being in a football ground special; the raw atmosphere of defiance and jubilation which home teams want to build, and which away teams want to challenge.
It’s about acknowledging and developing matchdays which can be enjoyed by everyone – whether you want to bounce for 90 minutes after a few pints or give the mascot a cuddle and sit with the family. Pies and pakoras; Bovril and beer; a rainbow flag? It matters not once we’re in the stadium, we’re all fans with the same goal.
Being visible, being welcomed, being accepted. It’s a difficult journey for some and we want to make it easier, making football a place where people can enjoy our national game without fear of discrimination and abuse.
Setting up a supporters’ group?
We recently collaborated with our partners Kick It Out to create a free online course around setting up a new supporters group. You’ll find a step by step guide plus videos, advice and tips from some of our existing groups and campaign managers Hannah and Nilesh. The course can be accessed on Kick It Out’s dedicated online e-learning platform The Academy.
Want to get involved?
Then we’d love to hear from you. We have a small grant fund to help with your ideas so if you would like to create an event, a project or start a supporter group then please contact Hannah or Nilesh.
Celebrating ten years of Fans for Diversity
The Fans for Diversity campaign was established all the way back in 2014 and since then it has had a transformative impact with fan-led activity – opening up the game to thousands who previously thought live football wasn’t for them.
That’s why in the summer of 2024 we celebrated ten years of the campaign with a special event at Wembley Stadium and produced a publication looking back at a decade of campaign successes.
“I think the publication shows the strength of all our fan-led work,” Nilesh said. “We’ve got fan groups up and down the country striving to make football accessible for all. This is a testament to all that hard work.”
Supporter representatives from around the country gathered at Wembley to discuss in depth issues around diversity and inclusion in football.
The event featured spoken word performance from artist and Leeds United fan Suniel Makh and a new trailer looking ahead to the next 10 years of the campaign.
10 Years of Fans for Diversity – we’ve come a long way but there’s still work to do.
A brilliant spoken word piece by @suniel_makh played at today’s event.#FFD10 #FSA24 @kickitout pic.twitter.com/FPLWJVtrDr
— The FSA (@WeAreTheFSA) July 20, 2024
“One of the remarkable things about the campaign is the depth and breadth of different fan groups taking up the mantle,” Hannah says. “It’s great to see traditional fan groups supporting newer groups that are emerging from under-represented communities.
“They’ve forged lasting connections with each other and their clubs. It just shows that inclusion makes the match better for everyone.”
My Club, My Shirt: Fans for Diversity-led project
Since its debut at Cardiff City many clubs and fan groups have taken part in My Club, My Shirt producing a wide gallery of supporter portraits from across the country – Newport County, Carlisle United, Nottingham Forest, Bristol Rovers, AFC Wimbledon, Bath City, Blackburn Rovers, Wolves, Lincoln City, Middlesbrough and Lionesses fans. If you think you could pull off a similar project at your club we’d love to hear from you.
- If you have any further questions please get in touch.
