Queer Football Fanclubs from across Europe are to visit Hamburg to celebrate themselves, FC St. Pauli´s 100th birthday and St. Pauli´s current jump to the first German National Football League: "We're just kicking off!"
Just two weeks after the 1st game in the 1st German National Football League: Queer Football Fanclubs from Germany and Switzerland will gather in Hamburg for the 7th European Queer Football Fanclubs’ Conference 2010 from 3 – 5 September, 2010.
With the motto “Different colours, same goals!” more than 60 participants, amongst them fanclubs’ representatives from sixteen German and three Suisse football clubs speaking on behalf of more than 800 homosexual football supporters across Europe in total, will come together in Hamburg to celebrate the 3 day event organised by the fanclub Queerpass St. Pauli. The football family in Hamburg is also supporting the gathering: parts of the event will take place at the Millerntorstadium, home ground of FC Sankt Pauli, whereas the extensive work programme is going to kick off at FC St. Pauli former president Corny Littmann’s Schmidt Tivoli theatre.
Topics of discussions will be internal economics of the network QFF, welcoming of new member fanclubs and the planned concerted campaigns during the FARE week in October.
On Saturday afternoon the Queer Football Fanclubs meeting will be joined by a range of officials from SV Werder Bremen, Hamburg Sport Club, FC St. Pauli and the director of the Hamburg Football Association. They will discuss with the participants under the motto: "Young, gay and football player- can it be possible?" How is homosexuality treated by the clubs and organisations in the psychosocial education of trainees.
Furthermore, on Saturday night the first Queer Football Fanclubs Party „Music for fags and scums“ (as FC St. Pauli fans have been offended by other fans in the past) will take place at the „Jolly Roger“, the official FC St. Pauli fan pub.
Dirk Brüllau, QFF spokesman: ”We’re glad that we’re still able to break new records every year! With queer fans from 20 football clubs in Hamburg we can welcome fans from more cities at our event than ever before and despite our young history. This clearly underlines the ongoing interest in our activities and the genuine spirit we want QFF to stand for: queer football fans united and sharing loads of common fields of interest that need to be linked together to make football better…. far beyond local rivalries. And we’re just kicking-off! Also, we’re happy that we can welcome a huge number of representatives from different institutions and football governing bodies in Germany at this year’s conference, showing interest in a dialogue on equal footing between queer fans and other bodies in football. We as QFF with all our members believe that fans’ involvement is the essential basis to fight Homophobia in football that should be tackled successfully and sustainably.”