LGBTQIA London Scene magazine QX reports that among a plethora of queer teams now playing in London's amateur football leagues, Chartlon Invicta are busy ahead of the new footie season.

In the world of grassroots football, Charlton Invicta FC stands out as a club built on a simple but powerful idea: that the beautiful game should be open to all. Established with the specific aim of creating a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQI+ people, irrespective of race or gender, the club is driven by clear objectives. These include promoting association football, arranging matches, competitions and social events for its members, and encouraging wider community participation in the sport.

Originally founded in 2011 under the name Bexley Invicta FC, the club took a significant step forward in August 2017 when it became formally affiliated with Charlton Athletic Community Trust. That move made it the first formally affiliated LGBTQ+ football club in the country, and it was at this point that the club adopted its current name, Charlton Invicta FC. The team has called the CAFC Training Ground home for its weekly training sessions and home matches since 2016.

The club takes genuine pride in offering competitive, social and developmental football opportunities for people across the LGBTQ+ community. As a mixed-gender and mixed-ability club, its ethos is straightforward: football is for everyone. The values of respect, integrity and spirit sit at the very heart of the organisation, underpinned by a commitment to being "Everyone Inclusive" - a phrase that the club uses to signal its open-door approach.

Charlton Invicta currently operates four teams, each catering to different levels of ambition and experience. Two of these are competitive sides competing in Division 1 and Division 2 of the London Unity League (LUL), where matches take place on Sunday afternoons across London against fellow LGBTQ+ clubs. A third team plays in the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) Division 1 league, as well as its cup and shield competitions. This side offers a more social brand of football, with fixtures on Saturday afternoons against other LGBTQ+ teams from across the UK and Ireland. The newest addition to the setup is a Development team, which competes in the GFSN Development league on Saturdays, again travelling across the UK and Ireland to take on similar development sides.

With such a broad range of teams, the club is able to accommodate a wide spectrum of abilities while still giving players plenty of chances to get involved. Tournament participation is also a regular feature of the club's calendar. Anyone keen to find out more is encouraged to get in touch by emailing information@cactinvictafc.com.

Training takes place every week at the Charlton Athletic Training Ground, where the club makes use of professional academy-quality Astro Turf pitches. Crucially, this facility provides a safe and secure environment for LGBTQ+ people to simply come along and enjoy their football. On Tuesday nights and Sunday afternoons, Charlton Invicta takes full control of the site, with security measures in place to ensure everyone can play without worry.

Looking at the season ahead, the competitive LUL teams typically play between 14 and 16 games each, while the GFSN side is expected to feature in 14 to 18 matches. The Development team will play a smaller number of fixtures this season - around six to eight - but across all four squads, including pre-season friendlies, the club as a whole will take part in somewhere between 50 and 60 games.

Once the fixture lists are officially confirmed, they will be published on the LUL and GFSN websites. In the meantime, supporters and players can keep an eye on the club's social media channels, where details of upcoming games, venues and kick-off times will be shared regularly.

https://cactinvictafc.com/