Football v Homophobia
Title-winning manager Luke Tuffs on coaching, fatherhood, and being gay in non-league football
Published: 5 May 2026 at 14:01 Europe/London
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Episode notes
Luke Tuffs has been a first-team coach and manager in non-league football for more than a decade.
From being a key figure in Hartley Wintney's FA Cup and FA Vase runs, to taking the managerial reins at Knaphill, Ashford Town (Middlesex) and Leatherhead, he has considerable coaching experience in the semi-professional scene.
In his second spell at Ashford Town, he recently led the team to a league title and promotion back to Step 4, at the first time of asking.
In all this time, he's been out as gay, providing rare representation for the LGBTQ+ community in men's football.
On this episode, he joins FvH's Jon Holmes for a chat about the Tangerines' 2025/26 triumph; what it's really like to be a non-league boss; his unique journey in the game; and a new responsibility he recently took on - becoming a dad.
Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC - ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com
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