In London, England, that space is run by Baller Friends Collective (Baller FC). Founded by Rachel Gould, Baller FC is a group of friends, event producers, DJs, musicians, and passionate members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have come together to successfully create an-inclusive community and physical safe space for football fans to share their love for a sport that has grown exponentially.
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For the Love of Football
In 2015, Gould lived in the US—she was based in Philadelphia for work and came across an organization called The Welcoming Committee, a national movement of LGBTQIA+ people. Every month, TWC would set up social events where LGBTQIA+ people could meet and connect with one another over shared interests and passions. Gould was also introduced to the US Women’s National Soccer team and the group started watching—and even attended—the games. “I just knew, at that time, [England] it was a million miles away to what was going on with the Women’s Football in America, so I really got into the [World Cup] tournament. England got to the semi-final, but they lost in the last minute to one of the most spectacular own goals that you’ll ever see, and that kicked off my passion for women’s football.”
Gould returned to England and started bringing her friends to football games. In 2019, she attended the Women’s World Cup in France. In addition to cheering on her favorite team, she enjoyed the comradery between the fans she encountered—the Scottish, Danish and even US fans all came together while they watched their nations compete for this prestigious Cup. Gould was excited being with a tribe of people who although, might be wearing a different color jersey, still understood and spoke the same language as she did.
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Rachel Gould
Founder of Baller Friends Collective
Gould’s Goals
In 2022, the Women’s Euro took place in England which ignited Gould’s opportunity to bring a community together. “I’d been thinking about sports bars and about events. So, I dragged all my friends, my football friends, down to the pub. I had my PowerPoint presentation, and I literally presented Baller FC pretty much as it ended up working out to them. And they were all on board.” Ten months into this venture, Gould was getting so much traction and not just from the local English fans, but Swedish, Danish, and German fans came out to these Baller events, too.
Since the Euro’s, every England woman’s game has sold out. “It is all about building on the success of the Euros and continuing to put women’s football rightly center stage in a dedicated, welcoming space,” says Gould. “We knew there weren’t dedicated spaces for women’s football fans to watch football. And what we did was create the space where we could have as much control over the running of it, the look, the feel, and the safety aspects.”
Baller FC has also hosted several art events blending other elements and communities involved with football. Gould would like to set up a retrospective exhibition on the local area of Hackney, which houses historical photography featuring some of the first women who were part of the football team in Hackney. Her goal for this year is to host inclusive watch parties for every televised Women’s Super League, Women’s Champions League games and England matches.
Women’s football, concisely, is about bringing people together. It’s about supporting the women’s football community and giving people access to this sport. Whether it be a national competition or at a local level, being together, supporting one another, is the elevation and cultural understanding that Football Fandom has, and continues to grow with each match.