Sheffield's rival fans working together to break down barriers

ByBen Ashton

BBC Sport England

When Sheffield Wednesday fan Chris Ledger heard racist abuse at Hillsborough in 2014, it took him eight years to overcome the fear of discrimination before he could return.

"At the time I was really struggling," he said.

"I was at a game against Watford and I heard somebody use racist abuse towards defender Anthony Gardner and it really affected me.

"I hadn't really processed my sexuality at the time. I don't think I'd even considered the fact I was gay because I was so deeply in denial.

"It completely threw me. I spiralled and had a complete nervous breakdown.

"I left the game for eight years because I felt too scared to go back in a stadium just in case there was homophobic abuse. It really scared me."

Rival Sheffield United supporter James Laley had a similar experience at Bramall Lane when the Blades were in League One.

"I was sat on my own and some of our players were warming up on the touchline wearing thermals," he said.

"Someone a row or two rows behind me used homophobic language to convey weakness that these professional athletes were warming up in thermals.

"It obviously made me feel very uncomfortable."

It was those moments that would eventually lead Ledger, Laley and hundreds of rival fans to put their allegiances aside and come together.

Many football rivalries are defined by the disdain supporters have for their arch-enemy.

When Sheffield United welcome Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday with the possible opportunity to relegate their neighbours to League One, you can guarantee there will be no love lost between the two sides.

But, as Laley says: "You can work together because we're all football fans at the end of the day."

And that is exactly what the two Steel City supporters groups Laley and Ledger run have been doing to break down barriers in football and create a more inclusive atmosphere.

Laley formed Rainbow Blades in 2020 and Ledger followed suit by creating Rainbow Owls with the support of Laley three years later.

"You can separate the two and take that rivalry away from the football pitch and work together because what Chris is doing with Rainbow Owls and what I'm doing with Rainbow Blades, we're all working towards the same goal," Laley said.

"We're all wanting to ensure that football is inclusive for both sets of supporters and for all football fans. So why wouldn't you want to work together?"

Ledger said he finally "felt ready to come back to the game" in 2023 and "more confident in myself as a gay man, but still very isolated".

"I didn't come from a family who like football, I didn't have a best friend to go with, I've always been on my own going to football games," Ledger said.

"Even back in the early noughties when I was going to games, it was always on my own.

"I thought there must be somebody else that must feel this way. So I thought I might as well just start [the group] because I've got nothing to lose.

"Even if I meet one person, I'll be less isolated and that person's less isolated."

Rainbow Owls hold social events, often on matchdays, which Ledger says has provided a "safe space" for the LGBTQ+ community.

"I think it's been really beneficial in particular to our members that are at a greater risk to be marginalised," he said.

"We've got a lot of neurodiverse members, autistic members, I'm autistic myself. We've got trans and non-binary members and I think for them, it's a lifeline.

"It enables them to go into the stadium on a more positive note instead of feeling very isolated."

It is not just in the stands the groups are working to create a better environment, it is on the pitch too with inclusive football sessions in Sheffield organised by Rainbow Blades to provide a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to play.

Members of the Rainbow Owls also attend and one participant even travels from outside of Sheffield, said Laley.

"They'd stopped playing football because of their anxiety and mental health struggles," he said.

"And since coming, it has really brought them back out of their shell. It's really helping with their anxiety and being able to socialise with lots of different people.

"They said it's something they look forward to every single week and it puts a smile on their face and gives them a spring in their step, which is really beautiful - and that's what we want."

Another player recently came out as trans but "didn't feel they had a space anymore to play football".

"The people they used to play with didn't want to include them anymore because they were trans," Laley said.

"And because our sessions are fully inclusive they're now able to come and play football week in, week out and there's a space for them.

"I think that's really important in today's climate and how society is at the moment that we're able to offer those safe spaces for trans people."

Despite the positive progress, there is still plenty of work to be done as the EFL's rainbow ball returns this weekend to mark Football v Homophobia's month of action.

"We just need everyone to work together on this, on LGBTQ+ inclusion in football," Laley said.

"It's clear that society is quite fractured at the moment. I try to avoid comments as much as possible, but sometimes you accidentally start scrolling and seeing comments.

"And it's all the usual ones you see, like 'stop ramming it down our throat, keep politics out of football, football has gone woke' - all the standard comments you see every single year when any campaign that tackles discrimination is launched.

"I think they're the voices we're wanting to influence and change and bring awareness to because actually what you say in a football stadium, the homophobic banter as some people might see it as, really hurts.

"Someone from the LGBTQ+ community might be going to their first ever game. If they start hearing homophobic abuse, are they going to return? They might not feel safe."

EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: "The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the league is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Laley added: "We all have a duty to the LGBTQ+ community, but also we have a duty to football to ensure that it's as welcoming and as open for everyone, because everyone should be able to enjoy this game."