'Deep concerns' raised over grassroots stats on homophobia in football
The Football vs Homophobia campaign has reacted to the latest Grassroots Behaviour and Discipline Report
The Football v Homophobia (FvH) campaign has expressed deep concern following the publication of the Football Association’s Grassroots Behaviour and Discipline Report for the 2025/26 season.
This annual report, which focuses on discrimination within the grassroots levels of men's and women's football, highlights a concerning trend in the rise of homophobic behaviour in the sport.
And for the fourth consecutive year, there has been an increase in allegations related to sexual orientation discrimination, with a reported rise of 35% compared to the previous season.
Significantly, the 2025/26 season saw more charges and proven charges for homophobia within FA-affiliated grassroots football than for any other type of discrimination.
Despite this, the report indicates that only a third of allegations related to sexual orientation results in a charge, and merely a quarter leads to a proven charge, showing a decline from previous figures.
The FA has acknowledged a "reporting gap," which results in many incidents of discrimination not being formally registered as allegations.
Read more: New partnership tackles abuse of LGBTQ+ community in football
This gap mirrors trends in government research endorsed by Galop, which shows that anti-LGBTQ language and behaviour in wider society often goes unreported.
While the FvH campaign welcomes increased awareness around reporting homophobia, it asserts that education and evidence-gathering in this area remain insufficient.
The organisation believes that further training and investment in tools and technology are necessary to support the FA's initiatives, ensuring that the process for reporting and addressing homophobia is more robust and effective.
A 'concerning' sharp rise in reports of homophobic language
Jon Holmes, from Football vs Homophobia, told Hits Radio Pride: "For this year in particular, what the data has shown is a sharp rise in the number of reports made, but where our concern really lies, is that the number of charges have gone up only very slightly.
"This is worrying, because, as we encourage more people to report homophobic language, or incidents of homophobic behaviour in matches, the processes are only really happening in a relatively small number of those cases.
"And the number of proven charges is also relatively low, in comparison to the number of allegations that are being made.
"But in all of this, the big question really is, is the number of reports going up because it's happening more often, or is it the fact that we are getting better in actually submitting these reports?
"I think both things are happening.
"What we are aware of is that, in broader society, we are seeing homophobic language increasing, and it's really important that people report this.
"But we also need to show the LGBTQ+ community that if this does happen on or off the field, that action will be taken.
"What we think could be done better is for the authorities to be more effective at educating people on the impact of this kind of language in these sporting environments, but there also needs to be better evidence gathering, too."
Football v Homophobia's work highlighting the importance of education and reporting
Bosses at FvH say they are committed to enhancing understanding of homophobic language's impact within grassroots football, and their latest campaign stresses that even indirect or general derogatory language can be discriminatory and lead to serious consequences, such as lengthy bans.
Next year, during the next Football v Homophobia Month of Action, they say they plan to focus efforts on educating participants and promoting successful strategies for incident reporting both on and off the pitch.
Read more: Football v Homophobia: Month of action tackling 'disgusting' abuse
This initiative aims to empower players, coaches, and fans to actively contribute to more inclusive and accepting football environments.
FvH continues to urge all supporters of the campaign and those involved in grassroots football to stand against homophobia and show robust support for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies.
You can read more about Football v Homophobia on their website.
You can also read the FA's 2025-26 season Annual Grassroots Behaviour and Discipline Report here.