01/10: January 2010
EGLSF Newsletter: News & Information from European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation
EGLSF Funding Programme 2010 We have stepped into 2010, and we look forward to new experiences and challenges. We thank our members and partners for helping us contribute to the development of LGBT sports in Europe in the past and hope to continue the cooperation in 2010. This year EGLSF celebrates the 21st anniversary. We invite you to join us at Annual General Assembly in Manchester.
Contents EGLSF FUNDING PROGRAMME EGLSF AGA 2010 MEMBERS’ CORNER NEWS SECTION SPORTS EVENTS COMING UP...
EGLSF Board is pleased to announce a new initiative for 2010 to support the development of inspirational projects amongst member clubs – The Innovation and Good Practice Fund. This is a grants programme for which EGLSF member clubs can apply for up to 1,000 Euro for one-off projects where there is a clear aim to: - Improve or enhance the fight against discrimination or exclusion of LGBTs in sport; - Improve or enhance integration in sport of LGBTs or coming out of lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes; - Encourage communication between LGBT sports groups and tournaments - Support the establishment of new LGBT sports groups, particularly in areas where few exist; - Improve access to LGBT sports groups by underrepresented groups, including,
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Agatha Christie, British novelist
but not exclusively, women, minority ethnic communities, disabled people (including those living with HIV), younger and older LGBTs.
Page 2
EGLSF Newsletter: News & Information from European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation
There will be up to five grants awarded. The decision on which grants to fund will be made by EGLSF Board. The deadline for applications is 28 February 2010. For an application pack, please see www.egls.info or contact Lou Englefield, EGLSF Board Member at louise@eglsf.info.
EGLSF AGA 2010 As annouced several times, the Annual General Assembly of the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF 2010) will take place in Manchester, United Kingdom during March 5 and 7, 2010.
Registration The registration has already begun. To register, please visit www.eglsf.info/2010AGA - you are warmly invited to register for the Strategic Planning Day as well. A special arrangements have been made regarding accommodation options; namely special hotel offer and hosted housing. Please note, that both these options are limited, so please register online as soon as possible.
Membership Issues In order to have your voting rights at the AGA, please make sure that your club fills out the membership form at www.eglsf. info/membership-form.php AND pay the
membership fee by February 1, 2010. In case of late payments, your voting rights will be decided on a case-by-case basis at the AGA.
Strategic Planning Day EGLSF - European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation is hosting the Strategic Planning Day on Friday 5 March. Facilitated by Pride Sports, the day will consist of four workshops which will focus on the following areas: - Communication & Membership - Sponsorship - Sports/tournament regulation & good practice - Diversity Four 90-minute sessions throughout the day will enable delegates to contribute to each of the themes or focus on an area of particular interest. Key points from each of the workshops will be summarised and made available for all delegates to view over the weekend.
Venues HOTEL, STRATEGIC DAY & AGA: Ramada Jarvis Manchester Piccadilly Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4PH www.ramadajarvis.co.uk/hotels/ manchester.aspx The venue for the Strategic Planning Day and AGA is the Ramada Jarvis Piccadilly
hotel. Located on Portland Street in Manchester City Centre, the hotel is five minutes walk from Canal St, Manchester’s Gay Village and at the very heart of the shopping district with its newly developed Arndale Centre on Market Street. Wi-Fi connection is available throughout the hotel; in the meeting rooms projectors are available (all requests to be announced in advance). CIVIC RECEPTION: Manchester City Council, Town Hall Albert Square, Manchester, M60 2LA www.manchester.gov.uk The Town Hall, one of Manchester’s most historic buildings, is located approximately ten minutes by foot from the AGA venue. There are two entrances to the Town Hall, the main entrance in Albert Square and another entrance with a ramp (suitable for wheelchairs) on Lloyd St (to the right of the main entrance). PARTY: ‘Bollox’, Legends Nightclub 6 Whitworth Street, Manchester, M1 3QW www.bolloxclub.com Legends Nightclub is located 10 minutes by foot from the AGA hotel. ‘Bollox’ is a club night in Manchester which has recently achieved fame as an ‘altered clubbing experience for gay, bi and straight queers’. ‘Bollox’ are very kindly hosting a party night which is free to all delegates.
Page 3
EGLSF Newsletter: News & Information from European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation
AGA Documents Please visit the AGA 2010 webpage for the preliminary programme, AGA 2009 minutes and other documentation: http://www.eglsf.info/2010AGA
Board Meetings EGLSF Board members met in Helsinki, Finland from January 7-10, 2010 to discuss several topics, including AGA 2010, membership issues, finances, EuroGames, cooperation with partners, funding opportunities, etc. To follow-up on the meeting, the board also had a Skype meeting on January 25. The Board will hold another Skype meeting in February before meeting in Manchester prior to the AGA.
Members’ Corner Just another day in Paradise Facts: Winter. Outside: -8 degrees Celsius. Chilly weather. Inside: warm, friendly, good companions. Gays, lesbians, transsexuals. But this day was not about „being gay”. This day was much more about having sports and having fun… and a lot of fun. On this beautiful, sunny but chilly day of January 23rd, the Hungarian LGBT community found itself in a sports hall on the Buda site of our Capital. After several years it turned into a nice
tradition, and year by year there are more and more participants at this event. „The bigger the better” as the English say. I think this time there were more than 200 people there and loving it. And we all had fun or „spaß” – as the German say. I am sometimes checking around my neighbors, family, friends and colleagues. There are so many things they don’t want to or they are unable to understand about us. Our feelings, our behavior, customs, sexual culture. But one thing we all agree on. Sports can stop wars, stop violence, stop hate. This was seen on Saturday.
News Section
News submitted by our members Against Homophobia in Football 19 January 2010
Our community is also divided sometimes. But this Saturday there were absolutely no „bad things”. I saw these guys playing, laughing, enjoying each-other’s company.
Today the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation gave its backing to Football v Homophobia, the International Day Against Homophobia in Football.
Everyone could try a lot of sports like badminton, swimming, handball, basketball, and enter into some funny competitions. And suddenly I decided to be a part of all kinds of events like this.
The Day is being launched in the UK, by the Justin Campaign, an anti-homophobia football campaign named after the only out gay professional football player in the UK, Justin Fashanu, who tragically ended his own life in 1998.
And one thing came to my mind that moment. The 2012 EuroGames will be held at the right place. Yes! It is called… BUDAPEST!!! Lajos K. Szabo member of the gay handball team
The Justin Campaign intend Football v Homophobia, 19 February will become the one day each year where individuals, community groups, grass roots teams and professional clubs internationally can express their disapproval of homophobia
EGLSF Newsletter: News & Information from European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation
Page 4
01/10: January 2010
in football by celebrating under the banner of Football v Homophobia. The launch in the UK this year will also coincide with LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) History Month, a full month of activity celebrating the lives and achievements of the LGBT community www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk. EGLSF Co-President, Pepe Garcia Vazquez says: “We welcome the news of this campaign and look forward to the future development of this initiative. For the past six years EGLSF has been leading the European campaign to tackle homophobia in football as part of the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network. We hope that this campaign day will unite the efforts of all those working to challenge homophobia throughout Europe” EGLSF has had great success over the past year in working closely with the Deutscher Fussball Bund to challenge homophobia in the professional game in Germany and is working on an ongoing basis with LGBT football clubs and fans networks throughout Europe to develop a strategic pan-European approach to tackling homophobia in the ‘beautiful game’.
EGLSF is planning a conference in Berlin later in 2010 to bring together antihomophobia campaigners to consider next steps in the campaign to make football more accessible to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans communities of Europe. http://www.thejustincampaign.com/fvh.htm
Sports Events Coming up...
Due to a major server upgrade we are currently not available to display updated events calendar. The sports events calendar will return in the next issue of the EGLSF Newsletter. We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience.
Fotos: Public, non-copyrighted
Contact Us European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) c/o NCS Meeuwenlaan 41 NL-1021 HS Amsterdam The Netherlands eglsf@eglsf.info www.eglsf.info EGLSF Newsletter (ISSN: 1876-1763) is published by the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation. EGLSF is registered as a nonprofit sports organisation with the Chamber of Commerce in The Hague and enjoys participatory status with the Council of Europe.