Norwich City fan Zoë Morgan reflects on inclusion at Carrow Road as part of LGBTQ+ History Month and Football v Homophobia.
A regular contributor to our matchday magazine OTBC, Zoë pens her thoughts below. \
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They say there’s nothing like a team doing well on the pitch to unite the fans, and 2018 to 2020 was no different at Norwich City. Every member of Daniel Farke’s team, full of young, creative talent from across the world, was encouraged to express themselves in the name of entertaining, winning football.
And it worked. Norwich outplayed everyone in 2018/19 on their way to the Championship title, and they took their energy and enthusiasm and togetherness into the Premier League, winning fans along the way. Special games were enjoyed in what was ultimately a season of disappointment, none more overwhelming than the 3-2 victory over today’s opponents, Manchester City.
But while the chaotic journey of the team that Farke built has been well-documented, what it seemed to spark off the pitch, among Norwich City fans, has not. It would be naive to suggest this happened organically, but of course it was linked to the success of the side. There is nothing like winning a league or beating the Premier League champions to assess what makes you proud to support your club. The combination of winning, plus the efforts of the Along Come Norwich crew in introducing flags and banners to Carrow Road, made this feel like a special time.
But perhaps what was most notable about this period of joy was the nature of the banners, of the flags. They felt like a reflection of the team, who seemed to thrive off celebrating their own individuality, their own stories, and their own quirks.
Everywhere you looked there was a character to fall for: Mario Vrančić, whose family had fled war-torn Bosnia for Germany when he was a child; Onel Hernández, who would become the first Cuban to play in the Premier League; Christoph Zimmermann, who shortly before signing for Norwich had considered leaving football to become a teacher.
Here was a group of players from a variety of backgrounds, all of whom had found a home in Norwich City. And it wasn’t just a home, it was a haven. At Carrow Road, they were all experiencing what it is to love playing football, what it is to be a champion. This collection of characters had come together and formed an absolutely thrilling team.
It was a celebration of difference that was reflected in the stands. Perhaps the most moving display of flags at Carrow Road was at the Blackburn game, when City finally sealed promotion. The Barclay End was full of different national flags, each designed specifically for the player it represented. It was perhaps the first time Norwich City felt truly global, with fans joined in celebration of that fact.
In February 2020, an enormous banner was unfurled in the River End during the Premier League game against Liverpool. The banner was designed to mark the 40th anniversary of Justin Fashanu’s goal of the season against the same opponents at Anfield. Fashanu, the first and only openly gay elite male player in England, took his own life in 1998.
The artist David Shenton, who designed the banner, said: “\[Fashanu was\] a man so treasured in this city, especially by the football club for his artistry as a player, and by the LGBT+ community for his courage in not hiding who he was.”
It is significant that Fashanu is still being celebrated 40 years after his Norwich City heyday, not least because his is still a unique experience in men’s football. Until players can feel comfortable bringing their true selves to the game, it’s difficult to claim that the game really is for everyone.
One of the real pleasures of going to watch football is the opportunity it gives you to blend into the crowd. Whatever you’re facing at work, or in life, when you join a crowd of fellow fans with one sole purpose – cheering on their team – you have the chance to let that slip away. For 90 minutes, nothing else matters. It’s about 11 players and three points and that’s it.
For some people the act of blending in might not be as easy as it is for others. And it is not a question of changing yourself in order to achieve this either. But when simply disappearing into a sea of faces is not an option, it’s about feeling comfortable and accepted.
And that is why moments like those seen between 2018 and 2020 continue to be important. They are a reminder of what Norwich City strives for: to be a home for everyone. And if anyone needs their memory jogging about why that’s a good thing, they only need to look at the team in yellow and green during that time. When a group of people with different backgrounds and from different places comes together, they can make magic.