My Safe Place
Natasha Bispham, England
As England prepares for UEFA EURO 2024, we have teamed up with The FA to tell the stories of the nation's diverse fan base. From Lancashire to London, and Southampton to Sheffield, fans share their footballing story and what supporting England both home and away means to them.
Natasha Bispham is 30 years old, living in Oxfordshire, and proudly supports England as a member of the Three Lions Pride.
My name is Natasha, and most people call me Tash. I recently turned 30 years old and am originally from Essex, but have lived in the Oxfordshire area for the last 20 years where I work as a Data Analyst. I am a Pansexual woman and I recently married the man I love.
It is hard to find the words to describe what football means to me. I started playing when I was ten years old. I used to be the goalkeeper when playing with my neighbour and his older sister mentioned her under-12s team, Kingsclere FC, needed a goalkeeper - so I joined.
Since then, I have qualified as a Level 1 Coach and Level 7 referee. I was also treasurer for the Hampshire FA Young Person Forum where I, along with six other young people, helped influence youth football in the county. We provided our input and helped FA members make decisions to support their strategy for youth football. We also ran holiday camps for grassroots football players. This experience inspired me to pursue more opportunities within the sport.
Football is everything to me, and now at the age of 30, I am still playing for Wantage Town FC. In October 2022, I suffered a serious knee injury which has currently sidelined me. Between this injury and Covid taking away my ability to play, I realise now how important football is to my mental health and how lost I am without it. Watching football helped me stay close to the sport as I would analyse the game and imagine it was me playing on the field.
Home And Away
My first experience watching England was going to a few under-21 international matches when I was a child with my dad. I remember him taking me to Madejski Stadium in Reading to watch them play Latvia. I must have been around 12 years old.
I did not go to my first Men’s national team match until I was 28 years old. This was shortly after Euro 2020 when I joined Three Lions Pride and had a group of people who I could attend matches with. I never felt safe or comfortable going to a match alone before because I felt vulnerable as a woman travelling alone. This fear was exacerbated as many matches did not end until it was dark. For me, the Three Lions Pride provides safety in numbers.
The first match I travelled abroad for was the Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy in Naples. My friend Joe and I travelled together to watch them play which was an experience in itself, as Joe is an experienced England Travelling Supporter.
Euro 2024 in Germany will be the first tournament I am attending and I am excited about it. The travel and atmosphere I will experience being there will be so different from being at home.
Before this I always watched the team on TV, sometimes with my football team, hosting a watch party at my house or finding a local pub where we could go together and join other enthusiastic supporters.
I am a massive supporter of both the Men’s and Women's national teams. I try to watch every match I can, wherever I am. I try to find a TV showing it so I can cheer and support them. If I cannot find one then I try to use my phone or radio to listen to the commentary instead.
Three Lions Pride
Three Lions Pride is a voluntary-run LGBTQ+ England fan group. It was founded in 2016 by Joe and Di ahead of the Men’s World Cup in Russia. There are now 268 members and growing! I have been a part of Three Lions Pride since 2021, and in the last three years I have experienced so many amazing things with them. I would not have even thought about going to a tournament without being a part of this group and the community it offers. We organise socials for the home matches for people to get together before the game and chat all things football!
As part of Three Lions Pride, I am involved in discussions with The FA about the ongoing issue of equality in England matches and the tournaments they are playing in. There are always meetings and conversations around how to make supporting England safe for all LGBTQ+ fans, wherever it may take us.
Fuelling The Fire
My favourite tournament was the 2006 World Cup in Germany. I broke my ankle shortly before the tournament started so I was stuck at home, but this meant I could watch every single match of the tournament. We lost to Portugal on penalties in the Quarterfinals (we will not talk about the Rooney Red Card) but it was the first time I followed an entire tournament from start to finish and the fire to follow England began to burn.
Fans And Friends
Since I have had my own income, I have always tried to get the new England shirt to show my support for the team. When I was younger, we had car flags on our windows. Otherwise, in recent years I have expressed my support by cheering them on in the stadium with fellow supporters!
I will stay in Düsseldorf this summer with my friends and fellow Three Lions Pride members, Julian and Joe. We have tickets to all the group stage matches and hope we can follow England all the way to the Knockout stages together!
England Favourites
My favourite current England Men's player is Declan Rice. I love how he has worked his way up and is now one of the central players in the England squad. When I look back at where I have played most of my career, it has been as a defensive midfielder, so I can relate to his playing style.
My all-time favourite England player is David Seaman, as I was a goalkeeper in my early football career. I was always inspired to be like him and see if I could become a goalkeeper for the England Women’s team.
Sticking With The Game
I have followed Arsenal ever since I started playing. My aunt, uncle and cousins are season ticket holders and now and again would take me to matches as a child. Now I go with friends I have made as part of Three Lions Pride who are also Gooners!
I wanted to make a career in football as a Performance Analyst, however, I found it difficult to secure a placement for my Master's study. It was during this time that I realised how difficult it is to be a woman in a male-dominated sport. During interviews, I was made to feel like I did not know much about football, despite playing for years.
I have faced a lot of discrimination within the sport, especially as a referee. I stopped refereeing when I was 15 years old because I could not deal with the fear I had when officiating the boys’ games. Even during some of the girls’ games, the male coaches or fathers would shout abuse in my direction. I ultimately decided to pursue football as a hobby, instead of a career.
Escaping Through Football
Football is my escape and my safe place. It allows me to unwind and forget other things going on in my life. Yes, supporting England can be stressful and it can be painful, but it also can be exciting, thrilling and so much fun!
Mentally, not playing football has been a struggle for me for the last two years, and I have found it tough to watch my team play because all I dream of is being on that field with them. It is hard for some people to imagine what it is like to cross the white lines, leave your worries behind and immerse yourself in the game. Watching England, especially with how much the team has improved, has allowed me to stay close to the game.
Everyone Belongs
As a child, I was bullied as a girl playing football and called “masculine” because I enjoyed playing the sport. The national team has allowed me to find the LGBTQ+ group Three Lions Pride and other like-minded and enthusiastic England supporters. It is special to me because I can be myself without fear and support my team at home with others, which makes me feel less lonely.
Sadly, it is not completely easy for me to follow England away as some host countries are not friendly towards my sexuality and my gender. Qatar was one example which could have been my first tournament but the cons outweighed the pros for attending. With the potential for Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 World Cup, it does raise concerns but hopefully, we can help to make a difference to make football for everyone.
With more people feeling comfortable, they might not know where they belong in football. I want to make sure that, regardless of gender or sexuality, everyone can still play the sport they enjoy and support the team they love.
The Entire 90 Minutes
I joined the ESTC because I wanted to attend home and away matches, as well as follow the team during tournaments. Entering the ballot of the ESTC makes the odds of getting a ticket better, especially if you have many caps. Thankfully being a part of Three Lions Pride and the support we receive from ESTC helps us to travel and support England together. We are safe in numbers so I am very thankful I can attend matches and feel safe to be able to enjoy myself.
While other areas of the stadium tend to be family-oriented or corporate, the ETSC section is so passionate about singing and chanting. You can always tell where the ETSC section is because we refuse to do the Mexican Wave, so it always dies when it reaches us! I know from playing myself how motivating the support from fans can be to keep pushing forward, so we keep cheering for the entire 90 minutes.
Being a part of the ESTC means we also sit with fellow travel club members. The atmosphere in this part of the stand is beyond comparison and makes the experience of watching England so much more enjoyable.
