Rainbow Blades – More than a supporters’ group

Most Rainbow Blades will know James Laley, but the James writing to you today is the other one — James B. I’m largely responsible for Rainbow Blades as an Inclusive Football Group: a collection of LGBTQIA+ members and allies who simply want to play football. We’ve grown from a fortnightly kickabout to weekly sessions and now compete in tournaments.

August saw us take a group of Rainbow Blades to Mount Pleasant’s Summer Tournament, featuring 10 teams from a range of backgrounds. For our first appearance at a tournament that wasn’t our own, I’m proud to say we came away in 7th place out of 10. We had a great day in the sun, picked up a couple of wins and spread awareness of who we are. Rainbow Blades are now more than just an LGBTQIA+ supporters’ group, with our own community and presence away from matchdays.

September is shaping up to be an exciting month. I’ll be attending a night at the National Football Museum for queer football groups, with celebrations, workshops and documentaries telling the stories of communities like ours.

Even more exciting is something I can finally label “Coming Soon”: our very own Rainbow Blades football kit. I’m sure you’ll catch a glimpse of it this season, so stay tuned!

James Beckingham