Charlton Invicta FC: QX Chats With the Chairman of the LGBTQI+ Football Team Affiliated to London’s Charlton Athletic Football Club

Over the summer, Charlton Invicta are launching their fourth team. Gary talks about what it’s about, why they are doing this, the impact it will make and how people can get involved.

It is lovely to meet you Gary. Please tell us about Charlton Invicta FC and the reasons for its formation. 

Charlton Invicta FC was established to offer a safe and welcoming environment to all LGBTQI+ people, regardless of race or gender; to promote the game of Association Football; to arrange football matches, competitions, and social activities for its Members; and to facilitate community participation.

Initially founded in 2011 as Bexley Invicta FC, the club became formally affiliated to Charlton Athletic Community Trust in August 2017, becoming the first formally affiliated LGBTQ+ football club, and became known as Charlton Invicta FC.

We have been playing home games and training weekly at the CAFC Training Ground since 2016. 

We pride ourselves on providing competitive, social and developmental football opportunities to all LGBTQ+ people. We are a mixed-gender and mixed-ability football club. We believe football is for everyone. 

RESPECT. INTEGRITY. SPIRIT. We are Everyone Inclusive. 

What teams are available within the club, and how can we join one of them?

We run four teams within the club. We have two competitive teams in the London Unity League – division 1 and division 2, which play on Sunday afternoons across London against other LGBTQ+ football clubs. We have one team playing in the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) division 1 league, cup and shield competitions – this is a more social team playing on Saturday afternoons across the UK and Ireland against other LGBTQ + clubs. We then have our new Development team, which plays in the GFSN Development league on Saturdays across the UK and Ireland against other LGBTQ + development teams.

We provide lots of football opportunities for a wide range of ability levels. We also participate in tournaments throughout the season. Anyone interested in getting involved should email [email protected].

We train weekly at the Charlton Athletic Training Ground on professional club academy Astro turf pitches. We have a safe and secure environment for LGBTQ+ people to come along and play football. On Tuesday nights and Sunday afternoons, we run and control the site, along with security.  

How often do the teams play, and what matches are scheduled for the next couple of months?

Our LUL teams played 14-16 games per season. Our GFSN team plays 14-18 games per season. Our Development team will play 6-8 games this season. Overall, our club will play between 50-60 games this season (including sell pre-season friendly games).

If we just want to come along and support a team, where can we find the schedule of upcoming matches?

Our fixture schedule will be shown on the LUL and GFSN websites once the fixtures are confirmed. We will also share regular social media posts with upcoming games, venues, and kick-off times.