Norfolk Football is proud
RAINBOW LACES -
MAKE SPORT EVERYONE'S GAME
Rainbow laces is back and this year, we want to make Norfolk's campaign even bigger and better!
This year Rainbow Laces will run from Friday 17th November to Friday 7th December 2018, is a way for everyone involved in football to show their support for LGBT equality and inclusivity.
Norfolk County FA are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all individuals across our County who participate in football. Whatever your involvement in football, whether it is as a player, coach, volunteer, referee or fan; football should be enjoyed by all and that is why we are supporting the Rainbow Laces Campaign again this year.
COMPETITION
We will be running a competition in which we encourage all of the Norfolk Football family to get involved with. The competition details will be released in full next week, however we are inviting you to take to social media to compete with your fellow Norfolk clubs to see who offers the biggest and most creative show of support during the campaign.
Rainbow Laces and other merchandise/accessories are available to buy via the Stonewall website, with funds going towards the vital work Stonewall are completing for LGBT equality in Britain and around the world. Please click here to visit the online shop.
We look forward to seeing your ideas and support!
GET INVOLVED - BE PART OF A FEATURE FIXTURE!
We are looking for leagues, clubs, teams and referees to take part in the campaign over the three weekends of Rainbow Laces and become part of 'feature fixtures' which will receive merchandise and exposure. Would you like to be involved and become an LGBT ally?
Please click here to complete our expression of interest form.
Come out in support, wear rainbow laces.
WHY SUPPORT THE RAINBOW LACES CAMPAIGN?
Check out this video:
The facts…
- 70%t of football fans who’ve attended a match have heard or witnessed homophobia on the terraces
- 10% of LGBT people who attended a live sporting event in the last year experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity
- 66% of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people felt that there were problems with homophobia and transphobia in sport and that this acted as a barrier to LGBT people taking part
- 17% of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people have experienced, and 49% have witnessed homophobia or transphobia in sport
Taken from Leagues Behind (2009), Out for Sport (2012) and LGBT in Britain - Hate Crime (2017)
Stonewall, the organisation behind the Rainbow Laces campaign, has demonstrated that the campaign has already had a positive impact on changing attitudes and behaviours in sport.
The number of sports fans in the UK who think homophobic language is acceptable has dropped from 12% to 10%. Amongst their target audience (18-24 year olds), the number dropped from 23% to 15%, and from 24% to 18% among 25-34 year olds.
Norfolk FA Research
As part of Norfolk FA’s Rainbow Laces campaign we want to recognise and understand the issues we face that are specific to our County and our sport, therefore we will be conducting our own research into attitudes and behaviours towards the LGBT community in Norfolk Football. More information on this research will follow in the coming weeks.
#NORFOLKFOOTBALL IS PROUD
In order to fully get behind this year's campaign, we have created an umbrella brand titled '#NorfolkFootball is PROUD', that will show our support for the valuable work Stonewall and the Rainbow Laces campaign does to highlight and promote equality in sport.
Football Development Officer (Inclusion), Rachel Cossey:
"Last year we were one of the few Counties in the country to be involved in the Rainbow Laces campaign from a grassroots perspective, and the engagement from our leagues and clubs was excellent. We want to make it bigger and better this time round and we will have further announcements this month on how we plan to ensure that Norfolk is once again leading the way."
#NorfolkFootballForALL
If you have any questions regarding the campaign, please email Rachel.Cossey@NorfolkFA.com