'The LGBT Sky Blues group changed my life'

A Sky Blues supporter who came out as gay when he was 16 said he felt unwelcome in football stadiums, isolated, and fell out of love with watching the sport.

Matthew Loveitt, from Coventry, said coming out as gay got him kicked out of his Sunday league football team and took him away from the sport "for ages".

He went on to create the Proud Sky Blues group with Lewis Wale in 2023, which was founded as a welcoming and safe space for LGBTQ+ supporters to connect, socialise, and enjoy football.

Loveitt said "everyone was welcome" to join the group.

Loveitt, originally from Holbrooks area, has been a Sky Blues fan from a young age, and has memories of visiting Highfield Road with his dad and grandad.

He told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Radio (CWR) that when he came out as gay he was asked to leave his Sunday league football team, because some of the other players felt uncomfortable.

The 32-year-old said: "It tore my world apart and made me feel worse about coming out because it just had the negative effect I thought it was going to have.

"It took me away from football for ages and it made me feel really down. But the group [ Proud Sky Blues] made me fall back in love with football again, just knowing that there is a safe space and that I can talk to people about it."

Loveitt and Wale, who is also from Coventry, took it upon themselves to create the group after attending a football pride event in Manchester.

It now has more than 100 members and expects to keep growing and supporting LGBTQ+ fans as the club enters the Premier League season.

Loveitt added: "There needs to be that safe space for LGBT within sport and football, and more education on the effects negative experiences can have."

The group hosts post and pre-match meetups. Its next pre-match social takes place at The Anecdote pub at the CBS Arena at 12pm, ahead of the Hull City game on Saturday 29 August.

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.