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A fourth successful year for the Charlton v Homophobia tournament

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The annual round-robin 11-a-side tournament took place on Monday 27 May, with the university team made up of students and staff and managed by Director of Information and Library Services Paul Butler.

(L-R) Alessio Papa, GSU Vice-President for Education and Rhys Theobald, Men's Football Chairman

This year's tournament featured six LGBTQI+ friendly teams. The Proud Valiants / Fans for Diversity were ultimately victorious, taking the crown for the first time and denying the university their fourth victory in a row.

In a close-fought contest, the university team ultimately came in third place on penalties, but it wasn't all about winning. Paul Butler said about the day:

"The annual Charlton v Homophobia tournament is always a great opportunity for the university student and staff community to come together and demonstrate our support for the LGBTQI+ community and equality and diversity at the university, whilst also showing off our football skills.

"It was great to see so many students and colleagues come down on the day to support the team and have a good time, even if we didn't make this year our fourth victory in a row!"

The university is a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme and strong advocate of the positive development of LGBTQI+ related equality & diversity support and representation.

The tournament also demonstrates Charlton's commitment to raising the profile of LGBTQI+ football which includes:

  • A dedicated Charlton Athletic matchday each season to Football v Homophobia
  • The continued support of the Proud Valiants, one of the country's first supporter groups for LGBTQI+ fans
  • Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) affiliating with CACT Invicta

CACT deliver a wide range of programmes designed to promote equality and tackle discrimination, including issues relating to identity, gender and prejudice.

The full list of participating teams was:

  • University of Greenwich
  • The Proud Valiants/ Fans for Diversity
  • CACT Invicta
  • RAF
  • Journalists
  • The Charlton Deaf Team