There is considerable support among male professional footballers in the Netherlands for raising awareness and increasing acceptance of homosexuality. More than half of professional footballers believe it is important to increase acceptance of homosexuality and bisexuality in professional football. There is certainly room for improvement, as seven out of ten professional footballers rate the general acceptance of homosexuality and bisexuality as unsatisfactory. Forty-six per cent of players indicate that it is difficult to be openly homosexual as a professional footballer. These are the most striking conclusions from an online survey of all footballers in the first division and Eredivisie.

The study was conducted by the Mulier Institute. The institute collaborated with the Association of Contract Players (VVCS) on the study. The client was the Alliantie Gelijkspelen, a partnership led by the John Blankenstein Foundation (JBF) that promotes broad LGBTI acceptance in sport.

As in 2014, professional footballers give a low score for general acceptance of homosexuality (4.6) and acceptance of homosexuality among supporters (3.4). It is striking that the players give themselves a high score (7.8) for acceptance of homosexuality. Nine out of ten professional footballers also indicate that they would publicly support a gay teammate if he came out. “I think my teammates and the staff would have no problem with having a gay person on the team. The outside world might have more of a problem with it,” emphasises one professional footballer.

The survey also asked what the biggest obstacles are to gay acceptance in professional football. The players cited the (negative) reactions of supporters, the macho culture and public opinion (media). Although macho culture is generally identified as a significant barrier, a minority acknowledge that homophobic jokes and/or negative comments are a structural feature of their team. Moreover, many players consider such jokes to be a harmless part of football culture rather than a negative expression towards gay or bisexual men. There is therefore relatively little support among players for sanctioning players who use the word ‘gay’ as a swear word during matches or training sessions, while a majority do believe that action should be taken when spectators chant homophobic chants. Players are noticeably more lenient towards homophobic expressions (by both players and supporters) compared to a zero-tolerance attitude towards negative expressions about skin colour, ethnicity or religious beliefs.

In a special podcast Bram van Polen (captain of PEC Zwolle) and Kees Luijckx (captain of Roda JC) respond to the results of the John Blankenstein Foundation's study. Van Polen believes that his team should walk off the pitch if homophobic supporters verbally abuse a gay player. The captain will raise the issue with the PEC squad at the start of the new season. Kees Luijckx of Roda JC says in the JBF podcast: “I think homophobia in football has a longer way to go than racism”.

The results of this study provide the Alliantie Gelijkspelen with valuable insights into how to improve gay acceptance in professional football. To this end, the alliance is working closely with the action plan against racism and discrimination, Our football belongs to everyone. However, the results of this study show that it is important to continue to focus specifically on gay acceptance in professional football. For example, six out of ten players indicate that positive attention and support from clubs contribute to greater acceptance. The John Blankenstein Foundation is therefore in constant dialogue with professional football organisations to raise awareness of this issue. According to professional footballers, it is important to pay even more attention to supporters and the heteronormative culture and manners in professional football. Later this year, the Alliantie Gelijkspelen (Equal Play Alliance) will also conduct research into gay acceptance within the youth academies of professional clubs.

The JBF podcast about the results of this study can be listened to at: https://soundcloud.com/user-191100852-638566561/podcast-homo-acceptatie-betaald-voetbal

The full report by the Mulier Institute can be found at: https://www.mulierinstituut.nl/publicaties/26139/homo-acceptatie-in-het-betaald-mannenvoetbal/

Contact person: Stephan Hakkers
Position: Research Coordinator and Advisor, Alliantie Gelijkspelen 4.0 (Equal Play Alliance 4.0)
Email address: stephan.hakkers@johnblankensteinfoundation.nl
Telephone number: 06-24134038