SPORT // MARTIN MURRAY
SPORT // MARTIN MURRAY A NEW YEAR A NEW CHALLENGE In the last four months Inclusive Football Belfast has continued to grow in numbers. The team have played in many parts of Belfast making it accessible to all, and the communities have been incredibly welcoming, even to the point of cheering the team on. As numbers grow so does the teams drive. They now run development sessions on Sunday mornings to help get newcomers more comfortable with the sport and help regular players build on their skill set. On top of this the team will be playing their first competitive game in a friendly against the Dublin Devils, who I believe are Ireland’s
FIFTY // GNIMAG.COM
first LGBTQ inclusive, running for 15 years. The Dublin Devils have been extremely welcoming to the Belfast team and to myself on my visits down to Dublin and the teams look forward to building a relationship so that LGBTQ people in every county in Ireland have access to the team sport. The team has several gay, bisexual and straight allies on the pitch and off and they are delighted for newcomers to get involved no matter where you fall on the LGBTQA spectrum. I’ve also joined the team in some of their social outings and found it a great place to enjoy the sport
around like-minded people. If you have an interest in playing football or even just watching and enjoying the sport then get in touch, come down to their Dublin Game on the 8th February or drop by either of their weekly sessions. You can get in touch by visiting the teams Facebook Inclusive Football Belfast, NI or on Instagram @InclusiveFootballBelfast or visit my own Instagram @ AwayWithTheFairiesAWTF to see weekly photo and video updates as well as some ‘fun‘ posts teaching football terms to those with no football knowledge.
