Across the weekend, rainbows, celebrations and inclusivity adorned the A-Leagues.
In their respective Pride Rounds, run alongside Sydney World Pride and over the same weekend as Sydney’s Mardi Gras festival, Australia’s top tier in both men’s and women’s football contributed to a time celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community, encapsulated in Pride Cup matches between both Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United’s male and female A-Leagues teams.
CEO of the Australian Professional Leagues Danny Townsend signalled this is a sign of things to come, with the leagues set to keep pride celebrations annual, to further include all fans who walk through an A-Leagues turnstile.
“The intention is to hold an annual Pride Celebration across the A-Leagues which will be the culmination of A-Leagues ongoing LGBTI+ inclusion work grounded in education and training for players, staff and fans,” Townsend said when speaking to Kick360.
“The Pride Celebration forms part of an ongoing commitment from the A-Leagues to make football accessible and inclusive for all, it is grounded in education, training and an ambition for long-term impact.
“We’ve made huge strides in the last 18 months, but there is plenty more to come and we are committed to doing everything we can to make the league accessible and inclusive to all.
“We believe that football is a game for everybody and everyone should feel safe, included and welcome when playing, or attending, our game.”
Adelaide United took part in its second Pride Cup double-header on Sunday, after hosting Victory in the A-League Women and Central Coast in the men’s competition early in 2022, shortly after Reds left-back Josh Cavallo became the only openly gay male top-flight footballer at the time.
With the injured full-back watching on from the stands, both games ended all square thanks to brilliant goals, with Nestory Irankunda and Catherine Zimmerman respectively deciding the games with goals to remember.
It was a spectacle on the pitch, and a spectacle off it too, as fans flocked to AAMI Park in their droves, many even sporting an element of rainbow clothing.
Townsend was complimentary of not only both clubs part of Sunday’s clashes, but all clubs across the leagues for contributing to inclusivity as a whole.
“Adelaide and Melbourne have been great advocates for this initiative, and have been working closely with the League and our partner Pride Cup in helping make this marquee game a reality since it was first held in 2022.
“While across the league, both men’s and women’s teams celebrated Pride in their own way during this round, with activational elements at games including rainbow corner flags, captain armbands, guards of honour and some clubs partnering with local pride community groups.
“In addition $1 from every ticket sold during the Pride Celebration went towards the Pride Cup’s community fund to support community clubs and give them access to education to help every LGBTI+ person feel included, accepted, and proud to be who they are.
While the Pride Cup will take place annually, Townsend was quick to enforce the notion that a focus on LGBTQIA+ inclusion will be maintained all year round, and not only on the weeks the trophy is contested.
As this campaign’s Pride Celebration weekend moves into the rear-view mirror, the commitment to stay united and together remains squarely and constantly in the future, with the safety of all fans remaining non-negotiable.
“At the heart of this Celebration is education, we have worked closely with our stakeholders on a wide range of initiatives to ensure safety and inclusion at every level.
“Across the round, we worked with all home venues to increase anti-discriminatory signage and education for fans and staff to identify discriminatory behaviour and know how to call it out and how to report it.
“We’re proud of our progress in this area, but there’s still plenty to do.
“This is certainly a long-term project, but we’re committed to ensuring every person involved with our game feels safe and included.”
