Many people will remember that Newcastle United supporter Linzi Smith was 'Banned and spied on for my beliefs' - for her GC views. she is fighting this in the courts with the help of the Free Speech Union. However the Labour government has brought the Football Goverance Bill back from the dead. This will require all clubs to have EDI written into their governance. Many women support football week in and week out and in addition many women's jobs depend on their local football club, often a town's biggest employer. It is not just the women in the food and retail in the ground, but the physios and doctors, the sports therapists and trainers. In addition many small businesses have a large part of their turnover tied up in the club as many will be suppliers of goods and services to the club. What if any of these women, or men, with GC views make those views public? Like a tweet by the 'wrong' person? Are spotted on a let women speak day or protesting as with the 12.05 protest last week?
This makes Linzi's case even more important. She is gardening in the usual place or you can protect yourself somewhat and support her by joining the FSU.
From the FSU newsletter:
" the shocking case of FSU member and passionate Newcastle fan Linzi Smith, who’s been banned from attending games – home and away – until the 2026-27 season for the ‘crime’ of expressing her belief in the biological reality of sex on social media.
At no stage has Linzi been charged by the police with committing a criminal offence. Indeed, a complaint about her remarks was made to Northumbria Police and it decided no further action should taken. Nevertheless, Newcastle maintains she has breached its ‘trans inclusion’ policy – which is something fans are expected to comply with inside and outside the ground.
The FSU is currently helping Linzi to challenge the ban in court, but if she loses we fear Newcastle’s policy will become a blueprint for the rest of the English Football League.
That’s because Sir Keir Starmer has now resurrected the Football Governance Bill, which fell by the wayside during the last Parliament. Among the reams of red tape it will impose on football clubs is a requirement that they submit a “corporate governance statement” to the newly created Independent Football Regulator saying what action they’re taking on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
Our concern is that this requirement will normalise what has happened to Linzi Smith, with tens of thousands of fans banned from attending games simply because their political views put them at odds with their club’s EDI policy.
That’s a particular risk when Labour’s Employment Rights Bill is passed, because it imposes a legal duty on employers to take “all reasonable steps” to protect their employees from being harassed by third parties – which in the case of football clubs means an obligation to protect their staff from overhearing disagreeable opinions expressed by fans. Not just chants, but ‘inappropriate’ jokes and ‘problematic’ banter.
Once that legislation reaches the statue books, banning people like Linzi from attending games on the grounds that she could say something gender-critical that upsets a trans employee might be considered a ‘reasonable’ step.
That’s why it’s so important Linzi wins her impending legal battle."