Birmingham Blaze FC
Birmingham Blaze FC was founded on 28th July 2005, when seven friends got together for a training session under the shadow of the National Indoor Area. Since then, we've enjoyed steady growth and are now an integral part of the Birmingham SLGBTI community. We play both national and international 11-a-side football as well as a number of small-sided tournaments. The club is built on respect: we don't align ourselves specifically to any single diverse group, and our membership reflects this.
We promote equality and inclusion as our core value, and, importantly, success is measured in terms of the club's social, developmental and supportive environment for members, which are considered of equal importance to winning games.
There are twice-weekly kickabouts in Birmingham, held every Sunday and Wednesday. Everyone is welcome, male and female, from seasoned veterans to those who have never kicked a ball in their lives: choose Blaze to keep fit, to make new friends or to enjoy an alternative from the bars and clubs on the LGBT scene. A strength of the club is members' ability to enjoy their favourite sport in a hassle-free environment. There's a real mix of ability, yet everyone has a great laugh!
The Sunday sessions are always on a grass surface at Cathorpe Park, just off the Pershore Road in Balsall Heath, and there is, for those that want it, 45 minutes of training, followed by a kickabout for an hour or so for everyone. Whereas Wednesday sessions, during the late spring, summer and early autumn follow the same format and location as Sundays but for the rest of the year are for two hours and tend to be 5 or 6-a-side round-robin games on astroturf at Star City Goals.
Additionally, despite the club's name, we draw members from across the West Midlands and beyond. As one of the UK's largest clubs in the Gay National League (GNL), we also offer plenty of opportunity for progression to positions of responsibility within the committee or football management team. Blaze members are able to progress through coaching and referee qualifications, the cost of which is sponsored by the club. Another important element to the club is the 11-a-side team. The team plays in the GFSN Gay National League, GFSN Cup and friendly matches against teams from all over the country. Home 11-a-side matches are played at Moor Lane in Perry Barr.
Many small-sided tournaments (5,6,7-a-side) take place throughout the year and the club tries to send a team to as many as possible. There is also the odd 11-a-side tournament thrown in too, plus trips to international tournaments, such as the 2010 Cologne Gay Games where Blaze returned as the best British team in their league.
