Scenario

Welcome to this short scenario where a club responds to concerns by parents of a young player at a soccer club. The scenario highlights the role of the club in providing an inclusive culture and environment for LGBTIQA+ people, specifically same gender parents – sometimes referred to as rainbow families. 

Sam is 13 and plays in the U14 soccer boys’ team. He has been asked by a teammate’s parent why his mum and dad do not come down to watch him play or volunteer for any of the roles at the club. There is an expectation that all parents volunteer in some capacity.

Sam’s parents are in a same gender relationship, and he has two mums. Both his mums would like to come down to the club and support their son and club. They have been apprehensive to do so after attending a match where they overheard some of the other parents making homophobic remarks. They overheard commentary about the Matilda’s and making jokes around some of them being lesbian. This made Sam’s parents feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. Since then, Sam’s parents were unsure whether the club was committed to supporting rainbow families and LGBTIQA+ communities, so have stayed away. They have also asked another parent in Sam’s team to drop him home after practice.