English football clubs united to support LGBT Equality

The clubs of Premier League and English Football League (EFL) across the UK will unite in their support of LGBT inclusivity by turning their substitution boards and corner flags rainbow coloured to raise awareness of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign in support of LGBT equality, with a key theme for this year focused on creating more allies to LGBT people in sport.

Between Saturday 24 November and Saturday 1 December, all Premier League and EFL clubs will select a fixture to highlight their continued support for LGBT fans, players and staff across the game with rainbow captain’s armbands, laces and programme adverts also being provided to Clubs.

The EFL will also change its logo to a bespoke rainbow coloured version for the campaign and has also created a series of short films to help share the stories of LGBT fans in the game. 

"Stonewall is an excellent partner for us and we value their ongoing work to support the league and our clubs in promoting diversity across the sport," Premier League executive director Bill Bush said. "Our clubs do fantastic work in this area to reinforce the message that football is for everyone. We are proud to be playing our part and to use our reach to celebrate the Rainbow Laces campaign," he added.

Shaun Harvey, EFL Chief Executive said: “The EFL is once again fully supporting Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, with all 72 Clubs coming together to raise awareness and visibility of an important issue. The EFL continues to be committed to providing a match day experience that is safe and welcoming to all supporters across all of our competitions."

“We are hoping our specific Rainbow Laces initiatives this year, which includes new rainbow substitution boards as well as converting all corner flags at EFL grounds into rainbow colours, will again grab the attention of football fans up and down the country. This year’s campaign is also about recognising how to be an LGBT ally in football, which complements the work our Clubs are undertaking week in week out, up and down the country as part of the EFL’s Equality Code of Practice," Harvey added. 

English football unites for Rainbow Laces campaign