{"id":4932,"date":"2011-11-11T11:15:32","date_gmt":"2011-11-11T11:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=4932"},"modified":"2011-11-11T11:15:32","modified_gmt":"2011-11-11T11:15:32","slug":"cardiff-character-murray-harvey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2011\/11\/11\/cardiff-character-murray-harvey\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff Character: Murray Harvey"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Murray Harvey speaks out on homophobia in sport<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_4968\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 480px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2011\/11\/ImageFINAL.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4968\" title=\"ImageFINAL\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2011\/11\/ImageFINAL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2011\/11\/ImageFINAL.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2011\/11\/ImageFINAL-300x138.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4968\" title=\"ImageFINAL\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2011\/11\/ImageFINAL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2011\/11\/ImageFINAL.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2011\/11\/ImageFINAL-300x138.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Murray enjoys the Dragons\u2019 biweekly training sessions<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A corroding portacabin that sits amid a row of caravans at the foot of Caerphilly Mountain is not, perhaps, the first image that springs to mind when picturing the office of a football manager. However, Murray Harvey is not at the helm of a top-flight Premier League side; he manages the Cardiff Dragons &#8211; a local football team with a difference.<\/p>\n<p>Established in the summer of 2008, the Cardiff Dragons bill themselves as Cardiff\u2019s first, and only, specifically gay-friendly football team. With support from the Gay Football Supporters\u2019 Network, Murray and a handful of friends set up the Dragons with one mission in mind: inclusion and equality for all in sport.<\/p>\n<p>No, his modest work environment may not compare with the plush suites found in the corporate labyrinth of Old Trafford, but the challenges that Murray faces on a daily basis, arguably, exceed those of Manchester United\u2019s Sir Alex Ferguson.<\/p>\n<p>Murray describes the initial challenge to get the club alive and kicking. \u201cI remember Mardi Gras 2008. It got rained off, but we were walking around, proudly giving out fliers in our kit. From that point on, people started hearing our name and they soon started coming down to join us,\u201d he recalls fondly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Homophobia in Sport<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although the campaign against homophobia in sport has gathered increasing press coverage in recent months, following a meeting in June between Prime Minsiter David Cameron and some of Britain\u2019s leading gay, lesbian and transgender sportspeople, Murray admits the fight against prejudice is just beginning. \u201cI would imagine, given 20 or 30 years, there <em>will<\/em> be better integration in sport. However, more people in sport need to start coming out,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Murray, 28, from Tongwynlais, became manager of the Dragons two years ago, after two years as a playing squad-member. Although Murray confesses that his true passion is playing, he expresses a clear enthusiasm for the responsibilities of management. \u201cWhat I try to do is build something for the gay community. So, we open our doors to everyone \u2013 all ages, genders, abilities, and sexual orientation. It creates a different atmosphere from the typically \u2018macho\u2019 competitive environment; it\u2019s friendly and more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Screaming Queens and Macho Men<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murray is keen to stress that the Dragons do not fit snugly into one particular stereotype. Rather, the team represents a diverse cross-section of Cardiff\u2019s gay community. \u201cWe have people with us who are screaming queens and divas. But we also have people who are very macho,\u201d he says with a wry smile spreading across his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Murray talks with an infectious energy about his work at the club, and it is evident that his involvement with the team is at least partly responsible for his current happiness. \u201cPart of the reason for me joining the team was because I didn\u2019t know a lot of people on the gay scene and it\u2019s like a positive stepping stone for that to occur,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Life as a Gay Teen\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>However, Murray has not always felt so positively about his sexuality. He confirms that he found the \u201ccoming-out\u201d process of his teen years very difficult. This period of Murray\u2019s life was punctuated by experimentation with drugs and eventually dropping out of his local football team, Tongwynlais FC. \u201cI was just trying to get to terms with myself and who I was. I began smoking a lot of weed, and not turning up to training anymore,\u201d he recalls as he shifts uneasily in his seat.<\/p>\n<p>Although Murray describes himself as someone who has loved football since he was old enough to kick a ball, he struggled to feel at ease in the predominantly heterosexual teams of his youth. \u201cThe worst thing is when you feel like you\u2019re lying to your team mates. You fear what the reaction might be. What will happen if they find out? It holds you back mentally,\u201d says Murray, whose sentiments likely echo those of thousands of gay teens around the world struggling to gain acceptance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Positive Outlet \u2013 Free From Prejudice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murray\u2019s decision to help establish a gay-friendly football team in Cardiff shows how sport can be used as a constructive tool in bringing like-minded people together. It provides an inclusive, non-discriminatory platform for those who may otherwise feel disenfranchised from \u201cnormal\u201d society. For many of the Dragons, their membership serves as an important support mechanism. Murray says, \u201cfor some, playing with us is their first experience of gay life, and we do try and help them.\u201d Indeed, Murray himself is testament to the importance of clubs like the Dragons, as they provide a positive outlet for gay men and women, free from prejudice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When Murray is not busy with his managerial responsibilities or working for a landscape gardening firm, he spends time with his friends and family. After a 40-hour week in work, bi-weekly training sessions and a weekend match, Murray says, \u201cI still have to find time to play scrabble with my granddad on a Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Murray Harvey speaks out on homophobia in sport A corroding portacabin that sits amid a row of caravans at the foot of Caerphilly Mountain is not, perhaps, the first image that springs to mind when picturing the office of a football manager. However, Murray Harvey is not at the helm of a top-flight Premier League side; he manages the Cardiff Dragons &#8211; a local football team with a difference. Established in the summer of 2008, the Cardiff Dragons bill themselves [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":4978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1135,727,482,1136,1137,1138,1139,59,1140,1141,1142],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-4932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-active-life","tag-cardiff-dragons","tag-football","tag-gay","tag-gay-friendly","tag-gfsn","tag-homophobia","tag-homophobia-in-sport","tag-lgbt","tag-murray-harvey","tag-soccer","tag-social-inclusion"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cardiff Character: Murray Harvey - alt.cardiff<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2011\/11\/11\/cardiff-character-murray-harvey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cardiff Character: Murray Harvey - alt.cardiff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Murray Harvey speaks out on homophobia in sport A corroding portacabin that sits amid a row of caravans at the foot of Caerphilly Mountain is not, perhaps, the first image that springs to mind when picturing the office of a football manager. 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