We Campaign: Use Of The 'G-Word'

With Saturday’s fixture against Luton Town in mind, we’d like to remind supporters about our views on the use of the ‘G-word’, which is the derivative of Gypsy used at the end of a popular chant about our local rivals.

Having been at the forefront of football’s campaign to be fully inclusive since Graham Taylor and Sir Elton John joined forces to put Watford on the map, we don’t believe for one moment that our supporters would use other more commonly known racist words in chants.

GATE Herts is a community-led organisation working in Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas to promote awareness of the issues that affect the Gypsy Traveller Communities.

The club will be working with GATE to further highlight those issues and help educate our supporters.

The team at GATE said: “It is concerning and disheartening that the ‘G-word’ is still heard in football chants.

“This term is not only offensive; it harms and fosters prejudice against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

“To be clear, the ‘G-word’ is a racial slur, and its use in any context, especially in sports, is unacceptable.

“Football should unite people, not create divisions,” the community-led organisation added. “We urge fans to reject the use of this slur in chants.

“Education and action are crucial to ensure that Gypsy, Roma and Traveller players and fans feel safe and respected in all sports.

“Together, we can work to eliminate racism and hate speech from football and beyond.

“Everyone deserves to enjoy the game without fear of abuse or discrimination.”

We’re fully aware that some supporters have used the word for several years and consider the word to be ‘football banter’ and ‘part of the game’, rather than a racial slur.

It’s clear that the word can be classed as a hate crime, and its continued use has an impact on our supporters’ long-held reputation for being among the most tolerant and inclusive fanbases in the game.

Our position on racism and all other forms of discrimination inside stadiums and in reply to our social media posts has been shared consistently and clearly through the promotion of our We Campaign.

In line with stadium regulations, supporters can be ejected for using the word, which could lead to subsequent stadium suspensions or bans and possible police action.

For the sake of one word, is it really worth it? We once again ask everyone to play their part in tackling racism by no longer using the G-word in chants.

Click HERE to find out more about Watford FC’s commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, and HERE for more information about the work GATE Herts do.