LGBTQ+ football club lead the way in tackling homophobia after Millwall fined for anti-gay chants
From left to right: Sean Daly, CEO of the Millwall Community Trust; Paul Loding, player-manager of the Millwall Romans; and Jay Catalano, captain and coach of the Millwall Romans.(Millwall FC/Millwall Community Trust)
From left to right: Sean Daly, CEO of the Millwall Community Trust; Paul Loding, player-manager of the Millwall Romans; and Jay Catalano, captain and coach of the Millwall Romans.(Millwall FC/Millwall Community Trust)
LGBTQ+-friendly team the Millwall Romans are determined to set an example for inclusivity in football, in the wake of their parent club being fined for anti-gay chants from the stands.
Championship side Millwall were fined £15,000 ($20,500) in July after fans directed homophobic chants at defender Ben Chilwell during an FA Cup match earlier in the year. The club swiftly condemned the “Chelsea rent boy” chant, reaffirming its “zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of discrimination”.
Chilwell was on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea at the time.
The Millwall Romans were founded in 2006 as the London Romans before joining the Millwall Community Trust in 2020. Now based in south east London, the team, made up of LGBTQ+ players and allies, are working to stamp out discrimination in the sport.
‘It’s not the experience we have with Millwall’
Acknowledging the July fine, Sean Daly, the chief executive of Millwall Community Trust, told PinkNews that the club would “always aim for a no-tolerance policy.”
Romans player-manager Paul Loding agreed, saying: “It’s not the experience we have with Millwall. [Hearing about the fine] shocked us a bit. Millwall does have that bad reputation of being [a] club that’s a little bit rough but that’s not our experience at all.
“Sean’s view was that he wanted us to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ footballers and make us feel part of the Millwall family.” They hold free training sessions every Wednesday and Sunday at St Paul’s Sports Ground in Rotherhithe.
Team captain and coach Jay Catalano said: “Ideally, you don’t want these spaces to exist because you want football to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ people and allow them to play without issue. But there are benefits to being in a space with others who’ve had similar experiences. The sense of community it provides is really powerful.
“The inclusivity of the Romans allows everyone to play without stigma, discrimination or challenges.”
Talking about homophobia in football, he went on to say: “It can be nuanced and complicated. Hate crime is on the rise, not just for LGBTQ+ people but for marginalised communities more broadly.
‘There needs to be more education’
Catalano recalled times when people “joked about everything except my sexuality,” saying that when comfortable with teammates, “a joke about it can make me feel even more included.” But he added: “There needs to be more education and patience. Support is higher now but it’s still challenged by those with negative things to say.
Figures for the year ending March 2024 showed a 25 per cent rise in religious hate crimes compared with the preceding 12 months in the UK. During the same period, 140,561 hate crimes were recorded by the police in England and Wales, a five per cent decrease on the previous year. Of those, 22,839 involved a person’s sexual orientation, while 4,780 were transphobic crimes.
Despite the slight fall, campaigners described the numbers as “deeply worrying.”
Education is the team’s main focus. Daly said some of the Romans have been visiting local schools to talk to youngsters. “We’re in inner-city London, where some children follow others because they think that’s the right thing to do, rather than being themselves.”
👏 On Saturday, MCT CEO Sean Daly was presented with the #Southwark Together Award for #Millwall Community Trust whilst @millwallromans’ Andy Dolan picked up the same award…#Millwall #1Club1Community pic.twitter.com/VUrOVQnPrc
— Millwall Community Trust (@Millwall_MCT) May 19, 2025
Catalano continued: “We all have a role in highlighting the positive things football can bring, and [in] dismantling the negative impacts of its past. Homophobia still exists in grassroots and professional football but there are also great people and environments giving players positive experiences.
“It’s important we use our voice and platform to create spaces for trans and other marginalised communities.”
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