Cardiff Dragons FC

As Wales’s first LGBTQ+ football club, Cardiff Dragons FC has emerged as a shining example of an organisation where inclusion and acceptance take centre stage. Founded in 2008, the ground-breaking club has led the way in providing opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to take part in sport, creating a warm and welcoming environment and a community that’s inclusive of all identities.

As well as coaching and organising events, the club provides mental health support for its members and fundraises to enable those in financial hardship to attend sessions. With a goal of providing football for all, Cardiff Dragons FC, which is supported with National Lottery funding from Sport Wales, is home to three teams.

Its mixed gender 11-a-side team, ‘Dragons GFSN’, plays nationally in the Gay Football Supporters Network, or GFSN League, and also participates in the 11-a-side Cardiff Casual League, which plays regular Sunday matches.

Its seven-a-side ‘Dragons Rock’ team is made up of women, transgender and non-binary people and compete in Bristol and Cardiff casual leagues, while its five-a-side mixed gender team takes part in a league made up of non-LGBTQ+ teams.

In addition to LGBTQ+ members, Cardiff Dragons FC is also home to a number of neurodiverse players and works to accommodate diverse learning styles during coaching in recognition of the fact every person engages differently. Social events are also inclusive, and designed not to be centred around alcohol, in an effort to serve and support all members.

With acceptance and wellbeing at its heart, Cardiff Dragon FC’s motto is ‘Mwy na phêl-droed’, Welsh for ‘More than just football’, an ethos the team says sums up their outlook perfectly. This summer, the club celebrated its 15th anniversary and welcomed members old and new to an event to mark the milestone date.