A new policy scheme has been launched in an attempt to tackle homophobia on the football pitch in Scotland.
This news stems from the results of the latest Scottish Football Supporters survey, which showed that almost 88% of respondents considered homophobia, and particularly transphobia in sport to be a current problem.
The survey also said that “almost 1/3 of Scotland’s LGBTI respondents have refrained from a certain sport because of their sexual orientation or gender identity…the most often refrained from was football at a rate of 41%”.
The ‘Football v Homophobia Scotland’ strategy has been initiated with the goals to make LGBTI players more comfortable on the pitch.
Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell said: “The Scottish FA are committed to making Scottish football reflective and representative of the Scottish population.
“This ground-breaking strategy will help to make Scottish football more inclusive for LGBTI participants and create an environment within our sport that we can proudly state is open to all.”
The scheme promises to provide clubs with the guidance needed on supporting trans participation, and how the players, coaches and referees can be helped when ‘coming out’.
There will also be ‘Football v Homophobia’ training courses put in place for coaches and referees to give them more knowledge on the possible hurdles they may run into.
More information on this scheme can be found on the Scottish FA website.
