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The Gay Football Supporters Network National League (often referred to as the GNL) is an amateur league competition for gay football clubs across the United Kingdom. The league is associated with the GFSN - football supporters group catering for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. The league was formed in 2002 with four founder members, and has steadily grown to fifteen teams since its inception plus five associate members who play in the GFSN National Cup. It is the only national LGBT league in the world. There is a strong feeling of community across the league, born out of the GFSN. Over a match-day weekend, it is likely that both teams will socialise before (and after) the match, which has led to close friendships, friendly rivalries, maybe more. This community-ethos and friendliness of the league is an important factor in its success, although in recent times a very definite competitive edge has started to appear. ==History== In the middle of the 1990s a number of gay football clubs were forming across the United Kingdom, primarily to offer LGBT people in their local region the opportunity to play football in a welcoming and friendly environment. As the teams grew in size, 5-a-side tournaments and 11-a-side friendly fixtures were organised between teams. Eventually in 2002, a competitive league was formed, founded by four teams; Yorkshire Terriers F.C, Leicester Wildecats F.C, Leftfooters F.C. (based in London), and (Bristol Panthers F.C. ) The first GNL fixture kicked-off on Sunday 29 September 2002, with Leicester Wildecats defeating Yorkshire Terriers 5-1. The GFSN National League has no affiliation with the Football Association (FA), and is not linked to the National League System, although the GFSN itself does have a relationship with the FA in its attempts to eradicate discrimination and homophobia from football. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「GFSN National League」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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