The DJ came on the PA and said, 'Let's hear it for the lads,' and there was a huge cheer. Everyone was hugging and punching the air. Then the game carried on and when England won 4-2, the pub went beserk. Everyone was cheering and roaring for England. David, a 35-year-old in PR, remembers: 'There was just this whole bar full of lads. When England played Croatia in June, a bunch of fans gathered in the gay pub the Duke of Wellington in Soho in London. The Gay Football Supporters' Network ( is growing faster than some gay dating sites. There are now thousands of bona fide gay footie fans, from Newcastle to Southampton, and Manchester to Millwall. The interesting part is that these were gay bars - and during Euro 2004 they were crammed. But for Euro 2004 a whole rash of them up and down the country decided to exploit the commercial benefit of showing football live on television. Then, during the World Cup, a couple of pubs did it. F ive years ago it would have been inconceivable.
