In Conversation with Stargazy FC
Stargazy FC members posing for the paparazzi
Welcome to Rally’s interview series, introducing you to powerhouse leaders in the LGBTQ+ sports community who are featured on our app! Follow along to learn more about the different sports groups they represent, and how to get connected to queer sports sessions in your area.
We sat down with Stargazy FC founders Rachel Williams, Richard Pallot, and Jess Sharville to learn more about their motivations behind creating the club, and their mission to bring inclusive football to LGBTQ+ people of all abilities in rural Cornwall, UK.
HYPE UP THE TEAM
As Cornwall’s very first explicitly LGBTQ+ football club, Stargazy FC is leading the way in building queer football communities in the county.
After kicking off their first training this year in March, the club now already has 40 members of varying skill levels that rotate attending the weekly Sunday training session.
Action shot from the pitch
Stargazy FC is welcoming to people of all abilities, football backgrounds, and encourages participation in their Sunday training sessions at Hayle Football Club. Currently, the club’s inclusion of all levels was an intentional choice by the founders from the beginning to create an inclusive space.
“That was something we were really aware of and encouraged from the beginning. We made sure that both of our coaches were aware of [mixed skill levels] and wanted to work in that environment where they could develop each player at their own pace,” Williams said.
Additionally, Stargazy’s coaches are motivated to help their players, especially newcomers, feel welcome when they step on the pitch. Jess Sharville emphasized how putting effort into details like name badges can help foster a more open and relaxed environment for queer people to mingle.
“If you've joined a new club for training, it's so hard to learn everyone's names, so we try to make it so people can feel comfortable and fit in quickly,” Jess said.
Stargazy’s location in rural Cornwall means there aren’t a lot of explicitly queer-centered social spaces - whether you’re looking for sports groups or local nightlife, which Jess expressed can feel isolating. Coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, which put a long but necessary hold on social interaction, this makes it more crucial that there are outlets for the queer community to connect.
“We often joke that on a Sunday night, the clubhouse is probably the most happening LGBT spot in the whole of Cornwall.” Rachel said. “There just isn't much out there, just to paint a picture of what it's like. We do see that social side as important as what's happening on the pitch as well.”
THE BACKSTORY
Jess Sharville, one of Stargazy’s founding members, initially kicked off the social media search for a queer-centered football group on a Cornwall LGBT Facebook page back in 2022, as the pandemic started to loosen up regulations.
“I started playing football last year in Cornwall and I realized that there wasn't a place for a lot of LGBT people to play football. Before that, I lived in Brighton, where there are loads of different options and teams,” Jess said.
Stargazy’s founders - Richard Pallot, Rachel Williams and Jess Sharville
Stargazy’s other founding members bring years of football experience to the table. Rachel Williams leads DE&I at the Football Foundation. Richard Pallot works at Cornwall FA and for various governing bodies in football over the last 20 years. The three connected, meeting at local pubs, working from October 2022 to March 2023 organizing publicity, and searching for facilities to host their trainings.
The group explained more about the origins of their team name, which was inspired by the Stargazy pie, a Cornish delicacy that traditionally has sardines poking out of the crust, as if they’re looking at the stars. Oh, and there’s the not so hidden word “gay” in there too.
“If you have a look at our badge, the design that Jess has done is amazing with the fish heads on it. It's very Cornish, a bit quirky, and a bit fun,” Rich explained.
Sharville, who has a background in illustration, is also in the process of designing kits for the team to rep at their upcoming football matches.
THE FIRST MATCH
A new development for Stargazy is the introduction of matches against other LGTBQ+ teams in the UK area to expand opportunities for players to grow their skills in healthy competition. Stargazy hosted and won their first match this past July against Argyle FC, another LGTBQ+ football club they’d previously invited to join a training session at Hayle.
“When you play as a team together, you're not competing against each other in training, it makes you feel more bonded to your teammates. This is us, we trained together, we work together. I think it was the first time that we really felt like, this is Stargazy FC, and that was really lovely,” Pallot said.
Post-training debrief on the pitch
Pallot recounted the first match and the payoff of building up a judgment-free environment within training sessions.
“The support is brilliant. There's no negativity - someone made a mistake, I made a mistake, it happens. Creating that positive environment allowed everyone to be able to flourish without fear, which made them play better in my opinion,” said Richard Pallot.
Pallot explained that one challenge Stargazy FC faces is that they are located 2 hours away from other LGTBQ+ football teams, emphasizing the broader challenges of being part of a rural queer community.
However, the founders are ambitious to organize and compete in more matches against other LGBTQ+ football teams - the group added there are already 2 or 3 other clubs aside from Argyle that are interested in scheduling a match.
“Argyle is our only rival and the only team that’s nearby at the minute. We do have lofty ambitions to play in different places around the UK, and to invite people down to us as well,” Williams said.
PULL UP TO THE PITCH
Stargazy encourages LGBTQ+ folk in Cornwall to come join a session, no matter your skill level or ability. While the group is expanding to offer opportunities for participation in matches, the founders have cultivated a casual, fun, relaxed feel. The group meets every Sunday at the Hayle Club for training from 6 - 7pm, with social drinks afterwards.
“The players will tell you that this is a dream come true. This is something that they wanted to exist, and it never did when they were growing up. And now they've got that space. It's more than a football club in that way. It means a little bit more,” Williams said.
Download Rally now and follow Stargazy FC to stay up-to-date with their training sessions and matches. Rally is a brand new social network for LGBTQ+ sports and fitness fans, bringing together sports teams and events from around the world, and helping you make new friends to play sports and get fit with. Download the app now from the App Store.
