This collaborative oral history project explores the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ Arsenal supporters, focusing on members of the Arsenal gaygooners, the UK’s first and the world’s largest LGBTQ+ football fan group.
Founded in 2013, the Arsenal gaygooners have played a pioneering role in promoting inclusivity within football fandom. Through personal interviews and visual storytelling, the project celebrates the diverse identities and experiences of these fans, highlighting their contributions to both the Arsenal community and broader efforts to make football more inclusive.
This project was funded by London Metropolitan University via the Arsenal for Everyone - Innovation Challenge.
Image: London Met's Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Julie Hall with Dr Mabel Encinas (researcher), Angus Moorat (Arsenal gaygooners Secretary), Prof. Jenny Harding (project co-lead), Dr Sebastian Cordoba (project co-lead), and Karen Smart (Arsenal COO).
Project Leads
Project Team
More information
Football has long been associated with heteronormative and hypermasculine culture, often marginalising LGBTQ+ voices. While recent research suggests growing acceptance, LGBTQ+ fans still face underrepresentation and unique challenges.
The Arsenal gaygooners emerged as a response to this exclusion, creating a safe and visible space for LGBTQ+ supporters. Their formation marked a turning point in English football, demonstrating that LGBTQ+ fans are passionate and deeply connected to their teams.
Despite progress, intersectional challenges persist, particularly for fans who are also marginalised by gender and sexuality, as well as race, ethnicity, and disability. This project addresses these gaps by working directly with the Arsenal gaygooners to document their stories and amplify their voices.
The project aimed to:
- Empower LGBTQIA+ Arsenal fans by fostering a sense of community and belonging.
- Increase visibility and representation of the Arsenal gaygooners.
- Generate impactful interdisciplinary research that reflects the diversity of the fanbase.
- Promote inclusivity in sports through storytelling and public engagement.
We adopted an oral history approach, which invites participants to relate their experiences in their own words. This process may be individually and collectively empowering, help to build and strengthen a sense of community, and open up dialogue with others. Alongside this approach, we used photo elicitation techniques in the interviews to collect personal narratives from 20 diverse LGBTQ+ Arsenal fans. As part of our collaboration, the Arsenal gaygooners helped us recruit participants for this project and assisted in developing interview questions and themes.
Participants shared 1–5 images or objects representing their experiences. Interviews were conducted online or in person, guided by open-ended questions about identity, fandom, and community. Thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns and insights.
The project has produced:
- 20 transcribed oral history interviews.
- 90 participant-provided images.
- Online and physical exhibitions showcasing the collected stories.
- A pre-Pride 2025 launch event at London Metropolitan University.
- Two academic articles (in development).
- An archived oral history collection hosted on the London Met website.
These outputs aim to enhance community engagement, preserve fan culture, and contribute to Arsenal’s inclusivity mission.
The exhibition launch took place on 3 July 2025 in the Rainbow Room at London Metropolitan University. It featured extracts from interviews and 13 individually curated posters, offering an intimate glimpse into the challenges, triumphs, and impact of LGBTQ+ fans. The Arsenal gaygooners were consulted about the content of the posters and provided feedback on early drafts. You can explore the exhibition posters online.
The event was attended by members of the Arsenal gaygooners, researchers, and university staff, and was described as a “joyful celebration” of identity and belonging in football. The exhibition supports Arsenal’s wider commitment to inclusivity and will be displayed at additional venues in the future.
Project Leads
Prof. Jenny Harding, Professor of Media and Culture: An expert in oral history, emotions, and cultural theory. She is a trustee of the Oral History Society and has led numerous community-based oral history projects.
Dr Sebastian Cordoba, Senior Lecturer in Psychology: A social and LGBTQ+ psychologist whose research explores language, gender, and identity. He is the author of Non-binary Gender Identities: The Language of Becoming.
Project Team
Dr Mabel Encinas, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies and Education: An educator, poet, and live artist with a background in inclusive education and social justice. She brings interdisciplinary and creative approaches to research and teaching.
Assoc. Prof. Wendy Sloane, Associate Professor of Journalism: A journalist and academic with expertise in storytelling, media ethics, and public engagement. She is the Principal Lecturer in Creative Technologies and Digital Media.
Dale Rees RD, Senior Lecturer in Dietetics and Nutrition: A registered dietitian and early career researcher focused on weight management and health inequalities. He leads modules on food behaviour and clinical dietetics.
Dr Wally Mbassi Elong, Associate Lecturer in Sociology: A media and cultural studies scholar whose research explores sports fandom, digital cultures, and Critical Race Theory. His PhD examined West African football fandom on social media.
Dr Katherine Fisher, Lecturer in Physical Chemistry: A chemist with expertise in lanthanide chemistry and medical imaging. She teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate levels and contributes to interdisciplinary research.
Donna Jones, Head of Subject for Community, Refugee, Social Work and Youth: A social work educator and founder of The Rainbow Room at London Met. Her work focuses on arts-based pedagogies, inclusion, and community engagement.
