Norfolk Leagues, Clubs & Teams lace-up for LGBT equality
Stonewall, founded in 1989, are the leading UK campaigning charity on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, and their Rainbow Laces campaign aims to tackle homophobia in sport and raise awareness of issues faced by the LGBT community.
Rainbow Laces was launched in 2013, and has gained plenty of attention with both teams and players in the Premier League wearing laces, armbands and more.
Norfolk FA are backing this message at a local level, with both the Anglian Combination & King’s Lynn & District Sunday League getting involved on the weekend of 25 & 26 November. Rainbow Laces will feature at both St Andrews v Norwich CEYMS in the Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Premier Division on 25 November, followed by the Chilvers v Sutton St James match in the King’s Lynn & District Sunday League Cup the next day.
The laces will also be donned at a selected fixture in our Norfolk Junior Cup 4th Round, as decided by our ongoing NCFA GamedayLIVE coverage. Twitter users are currently voting for their favourite fixtures on numerous polls, in order to decide a winning tie that will see our Marketing team attend their game and cover their afternoon just like a Cup Final.
Norfolk FA Chief Executive, Gavin Lemmon, said: “We’re proud to join The FA and Stonewall in their Rainbow Laces campaign. Inclusion remains a priority for football and we continue to strive to make the game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone, so it’s very encouraging to see that some of our leagues, clubs and teams are getting involved.”
The Football Association are once again supporting the campaign and County FA’s across the country, supplying 120 laces to our featured matches and also lighting up the famous Wembley arch in rainbow colours.
Chris McCullough, Secretary of the Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination, said: “The Anglian Combination League are delighted to be involved in such an important project. Discrimination has no place in football and we’re thoroughly looking forward to showing our support.”
Rob Bunting, Secretary of the King’s Lynn & District Sunday League, Said: “We pride ourselves on our inclusiveness throughout the league, no-one is prejudiced and all are welcome. We are a forward thinking league and we want to show everyone that Sunday football isn't what it used to be and it's a very open and welcoming competition”
The Rainbow Laces campaign has played a pivotal role in raising the awareness of and combatting homophobia in sport. Research has shown that 72% of football fans have heard homophobic abuse, whilst 55%of sports fans say they wish more sports players felt free to come out.
To find out more about Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Campaign, click here.
For further information, please contact Marketing@NorfolkFA.com.
