The Dublin Devils

Programme 1: Friday 14th August, 2009 - Listen

First broadcast on 9th May, 2009

In the first programme in the series, The Dublin Devils, Fiona Kelly takes to the side-line to follow Ireland's first ever gay soccer team, both on and off the pitch, where she meets a group of lads who are keen to defy the stereotype that gay men are no good at sport.

Having started out playing under the name "Men United" in 2005, the team quickly opted for a name-change and "The Dublin Devils" was born.

Although, for many of the players, the emphasis is as much on the the social aspect as it is on football, the team has grown in skill and confidence and plays in a weekly competitive league. Perhaps the only giveaway that the team is gay is the fact that their jerseys are a deep shade of pink!

Through the course of the documentary, the players talk openly about their own experiences of playing sport when they were growing up and also reflect on the experience of being a gay man in Ireland in 2009.

We also get to meet a couple who met through the soccer team and have since become engaged. As Francis Larrigan, PRO of "The Dublin Devils" observes: "We are probably unique amongst football teams in that romance flourishes on our team!"

Producer: Fiona Kelly
(Funded by BCI Sound and Vision)