Europe’s first openly lesbian football team, Hackney Women’s Football Club (HWFC), teamed up with sponsor and sports, culture and entertainment agency We Are Fearless to mark ‘LGBT History Month’ with the launch of a new kit which pays homage to the club’s origins through iconic lesbian symbols throughout history.
WeAreFearless partnered with the team on the design and 16 February launch of the kit which champions HWFC’s position as a pioneer in the football space.
The red and black kit itself includes the club’s slogan, ‘Playing with Pride since 1986’, on the sleeve along with the progress flag and the black triangle which has been reclaimed by lesbians as a feminist symbol of pride and solidarity.
The launch of the team’s new strip leveraged the fact that February marks both ‘LGBT History Month and ‘Football Versus Homophobia Month’.
The campaign kicked off with an Instagram teaser posted a day ahead of an official kit reveal built around a photo shoot and a limited shirt give away held in the team’s local pub (The Queen Adelaide).
The launch event was backed with social support (included across LinkedIn) and PR support which generated coverage in the mainstream press, as well as sports and marketing titles.
Indeed, the PR strand of the kit launch campaign saw past and present members of the first openly gay women’s football team in Europe speak about the importance of the club and highlight the valuable contribution it makes to the LGBT scene.
“Having what our club means embodied through the kit is really cool,” commented 24-year-old current player and club Social Media Manager Megan Kapadia at the launch event. “I came out when I was at university. I remember going to my first training session and there was me and about two or three other new players. And I remember someone saying, ‘who’s going with this new player for the drills’ and the willingness to actively involve you and get to know you really makes you feel valued. Having an inclusive space is so important for everyone and I think that’s why it has grown so much and why it’s so attractive to new players.”
“It is wonderful seeing all the incredible detail on the kit because HWFC is an important piece of LGBT history in this country,” added 49-year-old Former Team Manager (1997 to 2002 and 2011 to 2013) Chris Paouros who also explained that we she originally moved to London she found it hard to connect with other lesbians until her roommate’s partner told her about HWFC. “I thought, I like football, I will join, and now I have lifelong friendships. I even met my wife there who has since passed away and others have had relationships, babies and many other strong connections have been built via the football team and to see it continuing to thrive is just wonderful.”
“Football, more broadly, helps people feel as though they are part of a community. And that’s whether you’re a fan or a player and that’s why you can’t underestimate grassroots football,” added Paouros. “A lot of the time, that’s reserved for boys and so having a women’s football team that’s been going for so long and more importantly, a lesbian football team, creates such an important sense of belonging for lots of reasons. “It is a lesbian football club, but I’ve never known a time when there haven’t been a few straight women also involved just because it is such a welcoming space. We want to show that we are part of football too and that discrimination does still exist and so we still need to create spaces where we can properly operate and celebrate who we are.”
Paouros also mentioned the importance of the role the England Lionesses are playing in the development of the game and states that their effect, especially those who are ‘out’ cannot be underestimated.
“Part of building a better future for Women’s Football is recognising the work that has been done before,” commented Rebecca Sowden who is Women’s Sport Director at WeAreFearless. “We recognise that a big part of building the future of women’s sports is shining a light on the pioneering work of the past. Which is why we have sponsored and supported Hackney Women’s Football Club, the first openly gay football club in Europe (and possibly the world). “
The agency’s HWFC tie-up, which spans sponsorships, funding and marketing support, is carried out on a pro bono basis and brings to life its commitment to advocating for and support women’s sport, diversity and grassroots football.
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HWFC was founded in 1986, when it was still illegal for queer people to promote their identity publicly, and created a safe space for women to live their passion for football and express who they really are. It currently has around 100 players across its three teams: the first team, the reserves and a development team.
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