Make It Happen! Volunteer Speed Meeting with Inclusive Football Groups

Do you want to see more LGBTQ+ inclusive football happening in Manchester?

Come to Bridge 5 Mill on February 28th meet inclusive football teams and organisations from across the city and find out how you can get involved and volunteer with them on or off the pitch!

This event is a #FootballPeople event funded by Fare as part of Football vs Homophobia Month of Action 2026.

At this event, you can find out about volunteering opportunities with:

• The AF League - A fully inclusive 7-a-side league for women, non-binary and trans players in Cheetham Hill with matches on Wednesday evenings.
• Ball Together Now - An organisation dedicated to creating inclusive and safe spaces for women, non binary and trans people. Ball Together Now host an annual inclusive 7-a-side football tournament in Manchester.
• Inclusive 11s - On a mission to create gender-inclusive spaces for amateur adult football players to connect, have fun, and play competitive 11-a-side football! We run monthly sessions on Saturdays from 10:00-12:30 for people marginalised gender identities, including trans and non-binary people and all women, and currently have a team playing in the Let Them Play Cup with team in and around Leeds.
• Partisan Football - Partisan Football is a beginner-friendly and trans inclusive football group for all genders. We play 5-a-side/6-a-side football on Fridays at Denmark Road Sports Centre. Everyone welcome! We're part of Partisan Collective, a radical, cooperatively owned social centre based in Bridge 5 Mill.
  
• Union Manchester FC - Queer inclusive 5/6 a side football for all genders, with sessions on Tuesdays and Saturday. Aimed at beginners, but anyone's welcome!

Sign up for a 10 minute speed-meeting slot (or a few!) to find your next volunteering opportunity. We will provide prompt questions to guide conversations which you can use during your conversations if you would like.

After the speed-meeting, stick around for a free film screening! We'll be watching WE’LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY: the story of TRUK United, a grassroots, proudly trans football club. Filmed over two years, it captures the team’s highs and lows on and off the pitch as they create a safe haven for their community in the face of rising transphobia. Directed by Cameron Richards & Charlie Tidmas.

We'll be providing food and hot/soft drinks, and you are also welcome to bring your own. Please note and respect that Bridge 5 Mill is a vegetarian-only building.

Event timings

• 15:00 - Welcome!
• 15:00 -16:00 - Speed meeting with inclusive football teams
• 16:00 - 17:00 - WE'LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY documentary film screening with food and soft/hot drinks

Access information

Bridge 5 Mill has step-free access via a ramp and lift. There is a gender-neutral disabled toilet on the ground floor and three gender-neutral cubicles up a small flight of stairs. The event will take place in the Flaxworks room. There will be a separate, quiet room available which will be clearly signposted on the day. Access details for the film screening, including trigger warnings, will be confirmed and shared before the event.

Visit the Bridge 5 Mill website for instructions on how to get there.