After 18 months and three successful transnational network meetings, the OUT! project came to an end today with an online event co-hosted by the European Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup and Sports Intergroup.
Co-funded by UEFA and Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, OUT! has brought together individuals and organisations from across the continent to work on the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and the empowerment of LGBT+ stakeholders in football. It had one coordinator (Football Supporters Europe), three primary partners (Pride in Football, Fuβballfans gegen Homophobie, and the Royal Belgian Football Association), and four advisory board members.
The handbook presents the project’s key observations, findings, and examples of good practice. 85 pages in length, it includes articles on the role of clubs, players, national associations, leagues, and fans, as well as interviews with and biographies of notable LGBT+ people involved in the game. In addition, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, VfB Stuttgart CEO Thomas Hitzlsperger, FIFPRO, the Sport and Rights Alliance, MEPs Terry Reintke and Marc Angel, and LGBT+ fans and allies from across the continent have all made valuable contributions.