From 19 April – 27 July 2024, the Williamson Art Gallery exhibited ‘Going to the Match’ by LS Lowry as part of the national tour. To celebrate the exhibition, the gallery commissioned a creative response to the iconic artwork and my proposal to work with Liverpool Trans and Enby FC was accepted.

I’m a photographer and socially engaged artist. My work typically focuses on exploring people, place and heritage through portrait, social and documentary photography. I usually create work in collaboration with communities on subjects that matter to them.

I’m based in Bolton: not far from Burnden Park, where Lowry’s 1953 painting captures fans arriving for a Bolton Wanderers game. I already knew the manager of Liverpool Trans and Enby FC through another project, and together we thought the commission would be a brilliant opportunity to positively represent LGBTQ+ footballers and foster greater understanding and inclusion. We wanted to amplify the voices of trans and non-binary footballers who are typically under-represented in football narratives.

Work began with the club in December 2024. I got to know the team and joined training sessions in the run up to Christmas and again in the new year.  Nine players volunteered to have their portraits taken and to share their personal stories, which are displayed in Level Playing Field, alongside each photograph as an integral part of the work.

Not all of the players at the training sessions wanted to be identifiable, so alongside traditional black and white documentary images, I decided to include some slow shutter speed photography, which not only creatively conveyed the speed and motion of the players but also positively enabled inclusion and respect. The painterly aesthetic of the photographs is also a ‘nod’ to the brushstrokes of the Lowry work ‘Going to the Match’ which inspired the commission. 

As I’m developing a more sustainable creative practice, I wanted to bring some of my alternative photographic processes into the commission. These unique pieces are stripped back and honest – just like the stories from the players. Look closely and you’ll notice a fingerprint, a rogue brush stroke or accidental splosh of cyanotype chemistry. In the display case you’ll find a bespoke cyanotype fabric piece I created for the club in response to two 1930s football handkerchiefs that belonged to my Dad. One of my personal highlights of the commission has been finding out the history of the handkerchiefs, thanks to research support from the D.C. Thomson archive. You can read the story in the exhibition space.

As always, ethics, especially care, was central to my process. From working on a 1-1 basis with players to exchange ideas about their portrait pose and to edit their stories; through to removing potential barriers for attending the private view (for example offering gender neutral toilets and offering to pay travel expenses).

We proudly launched the exhibition during LGBTQ+ History Month. Throughout this commission I’ve reflected on the inequalities that LGBTQ+ people were facing in 1950s Britain when Lowry was painting ‘Going to the Match’. The Wolfenden report was yet to be published, part-decriminalisation of homosexuality was another decade and a half away, and there were no legal protections or recognition for transgender rights.

You only need to turn on the news to understand why this work matters. At a time when trans people continue to face increasing hostility and discrimination, it feels more urgent than ever to create space for their stories to be seen and heard.

The stories shared by players in this exhibition are powerful, raw and honest. Please do visit to read them: the exhibition is open until 28 June 2025.

This creative commission is made in response to the 2024 project ‘Going to the Match On Tour’. Supported by The Lowry, Salford, Arts Council England, The Law Family Charitable Foundation and the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation.