Post-pandemic, queer folk are more isolated than ever.
Research shows that queer people have struggled to find community offline, as well as non-drinking spaces to gather.
Enter Melbourne University Soccer Club’s All Gender Games (AGG).
On a Sunday afternoon at Carlton’s iconic Princes Park, everyone is welcome for a game of soccer, followed by a hearty meal.
AGG was created in 2021. It is a fluid format soccer series made for queer, trans and gender diverse people and also welcomes black, Indigenous, and other people of colour (BIPOC) players and their allies.
The photos in this essay are from the second iteration of the games, which took place in March and April 2023.
Rishiroop is a Marketing student at the University of Melbourne.
This year was his first ever AGG, where he joined as an ally after discovering the event on Instagram.
“I wanted to learn and experience and understand these things [LGBTQIA+ issues] because it is an important part of our society,” he says.
“How I connect to people, like people from my state (Tripura, India) and people from different backgrounds is for me, playing football.”
AGG is managed in an experimental format where teams are assigned at random regardless of gender identity, to move away from gender quotas enforced by mixed competition that often erase gender diverse athletes.
Depending on how many people come to play, organisers adapt rules, field size and numbers on the pitch to optimise game flow for maximum enjoyment.
Karlee is a teacher and disability advocate who watched the 2021 AGG from the sidelines before joining in the fun 2023.
They were on a journey of finding their own space and a community that they felt they could connect with on and off the field.
“We just all did that awkward dance of getting to know one another, and catching up,” Karlee says.
“Eventually, you follow each other on socials and then you’ve got more community which is really nice.”
A safe and judgement-free space is also essential to the tournament.
Coaches and volunteers work together to ensure players’ emotional and physical safety, by respecting different identities and channelling competitive spirits positively.
“I tend to get very emotionally involved with the game. But I learned how to be emotionally involved in a different manner, in a much more positive manner,” Rish says.
Due to anti-trans protests occurring during the event’s run in Melbourne, game marshals are present at the matches to give players peace of mind.
Participants are also offered kits in a range of cuts and sizes that come with name tags where folks can specify their pronouns.
Participants attributed their enjoyment to comfort on the field and being able to connect with other like-minded people, many wanting the event to run the length of a regular season.
Chris is the president of Victoria’s first LGBTQIA+ inclusive soccer club, the Melbourne Rovers.
“The reason I joined the games was to take away some learnings to my own soccer club,” he says.
“To help make the Rovers more inclusive, more comfortable, and a more welcoming place for gender diverse folks.
“I’m no fancy person…I’m not a politician and not a lawyer or doctor. You just put your effort into it. It’s not hard.”
Many players who came along to the AGG reported apprehension in joining mainstream sporting spaces, due to previous experiences with gender and sexuality-based discrimination.
AGG surveyed their participants and found trans and gender diverse players often express unease in single-sexed sports due to fear of being ostracised and being perceived as an intruder or a threat.
This creates a barrier for participation that prevents LGBTQIA+ folks from accessing the mental and physical benefits of sport, including the social benefits that can be achieved through being a part of a welcoming community.
Using this information was key to developing a sport program to serve all participants’ needs.
AGG understands the power sport has to create community and encourages players not just to give soccer a go, but also to connect off the field.
To ensure the social connection continues to build after the game, AGG players can also help themselves to a Vietnamese banquet.
The food is provided free of charge to bring participants together through the practice of sharing food.
Ngoc is a second generation Vietnamese chef and activist committed to caring for community through her food.
When not working one of her three jobs, Ngoc cooks up a storm and keeps a community fridge stocked with free foods and produce.
“It definitely brought a lot to sit down and have a chat with people about their lives and their experiences, which you don’t really get to do when you’re running around chasing the ball,” Chris says.
The event pushes the boundaries of what community sports and beyond can look like with the goal to centre the community’s needs through collective understanding to make soccer more inclusive at all clubs.
The event shows the value of experimentation, producing a model for non-traditional formats that can help trans and gender diverse people move closer to belonging in sport.
It is all with the hope to see more allies, sports institutions and clubs collaborate to bring these inclusive spaces into common practice, with the players at the heart of the game.
ABC Sport is partnering with Siren Sport to elevate the coverage of Australian women in sport.
Cat Hoang is a second-generation Vietnamese-Australian filmmaker and acting Inclusion and Equity Officer at Melbourne University Soccer Club.
They’ve been running All Gender Games since its inception in 2021.
Source link
#sporting #competition #genders