Stonewall Adds New Teampride Members
Stonewall, a British lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) equality charity, has confirmed that the Premier League, Manchester United, O2, Sky Sports, Visa and Pitch Marketing Group have all joined as the newest members of TeamPride.
The TeamPride coalition joins Stonewall to commit to making sport everyone’s game by encouraging fans, players, sports clubs and organisations to show their support of LGBT people.
The full list of members also includes adidas, Aon and Aviva.
This week, as part of the Stonewall Rainbow Laces campaign, sport clubs across Britain are hosting a ‘Rainbow Laces’ takeover.
The Premier League is marking its support for the campaign at every fixture this weekend, with perimeter advertising at every match to include supporting Rainbow Laces messaging and every game will be opened with a giant Premier League Rainbow Laces flag.
Football clubs around Britain, including all Premier League clubs, and a number of clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two, English Football League, Premiership Rugby and Welsh Rugby. Football clubs include Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool FC, Hull City and rugby clubs include Sale, Newcastle, Bristol and Bath.
Activities include teams wearing Rainbow Laces during training sessions, laces being handed out at weekend fixtures and clubs organising meetings between LGBT fan groups.
Working alongside Stonewall, TeamPride brings together organisations from different sectors to find ways of creating inclusive and equal environments in sports for LGBT people.
Early this year Stonewall released new research conducted by ICM into homophobic, biphobic and transphobic attitudes and experiences among sports fans.
As part of the Rainbow Laces week, Pitch Marketing Group has produced a campaign video for Stonewall featuring LGBT athletes and fans talking about the effect that homophobic, biphobic and transphobic language has on sportspeople.
The film features British canoeing champion Matt Lister, Sophie Cook, club photographer for AFC Bournemouth, and former England and Team GB women’s football captain Casey Stoney, as well as coaches, fans and players – all of whom identify as lesbian, bi, gay or trans.
Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall, said: “We’re pleased that such powerful organisations have stepped up and given their support to our Rainbow Laces campaign, and now we urge more organisations to become part of our team. Sport should be everyone’s game but unfortunately there is a persistent minority who think it’s ok to make offensive remarks or join in with chants that make fans and players feel unsafe and unwelcome. We all have a responsibility to show that sport is for everyone.”
Premier League executive chairman, Richard Scudamore, added: “The Premier League is all about exciting, passionate and unpredictable football that is for everyone, everywhere. The Rainbow Laces campaign complements the work clubs are doing to promote inclusion and diversity in their stadiums, and across all levels of the sport. Our support for the campaign, and the decision to become members of Team Pride, is further recognition that the LGBT community is a vital and integral part of our community.”
Stonewall is now looking for more organisations to join TeamPride, to provide further resources and support, and to enable the charity to tackle the problems raised in the research so that sport can be everyone’s game. TeamPride is the headline sponsor for inclusive football club, Stonewall FC, for the 2016/17 season.
