Saturday’s Combined Counties Football League Premier Division North match between City and CB Hounslow United at the Rivermoor is our dedicated annual Rainbow Laces fixture, as we proudly remind the football community that this beautiful game is open to everyone.
Reading City FC continues to be committed to ensuring our club is a safe and welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people, their friends and families, promoting an inclusive community both on and off the pitch.
The Rainbow Laces campaign highlights ‘we are strongest when we come together’ and as a community club we are proudly supporting the campaign for a third consecutive year.
Without the support of the local community we are nothing and as Reading is such a culturally rich and diverse place where no-one is a stranger, and everyone is there for each other, we want our football club to be open to all.
Reading City is proud to be a diverse club welcoming staff, players, fans and families from all backgrounds and communities around the world. Tackling discrimination in all its forms, including anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, is an important part of our work as we’re committed to ensuring that we deliver a football club that’s enjoyable for all regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, ability, faith or age.
Everyone at Reading City firmly believes that sport should be everyone’s game and therefore as a club we’ll continue to fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion in football and eliminate all forms of discrimination from the game.
Our Head of Media & Marketing and Rainbow Laces Ambassador Ryan Sheehan had this to say:
“As a member of the LGBTQ+ Community myself, it’s great to see Reading City Football Club committed to delivering a football club that’s enjoyable for all. We have a real family ethos here at Reading City Football Club which allowed me to feel comfortable enough to tell those I work with that I was gay without any fear of reprisal.
In October 2021, we witnessed Josh Cavallo coming out and by doing so he became the only openly gay top flight professional footballer in the world, whilst this historic event highlights that football has changed for the better, I’m mindful that football has a long way to go before it’s a safe space for everyone and as a club we will tackle all forms of discrimination.
I want to welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community from across Reading and Berkshire to our club. Reading City Football Club proudly stands with the LGBTQ+ Community.
Football is everyone’s game”.
Over the last five years, football fans have led a huge amount of support for LGBTQ+ people in sport. More than a million people have laced up, and 12 million participants engage every year.
An amazing 78% of sport fans who saw the campaign considered that LGBTQ+ people are part of the sport community and 66% of fans who saw the campaign feel they have a responsibility to stick up for LGBTQ+ fans of the teams and sports they follow.
As a result of seeing the campaign, 45% of sports fans believe they would be more likely to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ language at live sport fixtures. Laces have brought the awareness. Now we all need to bring the conversation.
We imagine a world where every LGBTQ+ person can thrive in sport. We want to unite everyone who cares about sport to create the world that we imagine, together.
Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall, said: “At Stonewall, we stand for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people everywhere.
“Founded in London in 1989, we now work in each nation of the UK and have established partnerships across the globe. We are part of a vibrant global movement for change made up of LGBTQ+ people, our allies, families and friends.”
Rainbow Laces is proudly supported by TeamPride, a collective of world-leading brands committed to making sport everyone’s game. Supporting the campaign for a sixth year, TeamPride is Team PROUD of the progress we’ve made together.
Every player, every athlete, every team is stronger when sport welcomes and supports everyone. It is about working together, whether that is playing for fun, playing to win, or cheering on your favourite athletes or team.
It is about being a team-mate and taking responsibility.
It is down to you to show your support for LGBT people.
It is down to you to watch your language, and challenge chants and insults about LGBT people.
And it is down to you to report abuse, whether online, watching live sport or taking part.
When we all play our part, we can make sport everyone’s game.
