Southampton Football Club is joining forces with the rest of the Premier League in supporting Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign this year.
The initiative, which raises awareness of LGBTQ+ inclusion in both football and wider society, will be celebrated across all matches taking place between this Saturday and Thursday 2nd December.
This year’s campaign is encouraging people to ‘Lace Up and Speak Up’, emphasising the importance of holding open conversations in support of LGBTQ+ communities.
Clubs will be showing their support through a variety of matchday activities, with Rainbow Laces branding visible at each stadium, including St Mary’s, which will host Southampton’s game against Leicester City next Wednesday night.
It follows Saints joining with official kit supplier hummel earlier this season to commission a striking mural in Southampton to champion their respective support for the city’s LGBTQ+ community, as part of the ‘No place for homophobia in Southampton’ campaign.
Saints and hummel also collaborated ahead of the opening weekend of the season on a specially-designed rainbow shirt, worn by players in their warm-ups, to show support for the LGBTQ+ community and help to fight discrimination in football.
As well as the in-stadium support next week, the club will also be backing the Rainbow Laces campaign further across its digital channels in the coming days.
Richard Masters, Premier League chief executive, said: “Football has a remarkable power to bring people together and it is a priority for the Premier League and our clubs to ensure everybody feels welcome and supported, from players and fans, to staff and all those involved in our many community programmes.
“We and our clubs play an important role in encouraging people to support the LGBTQ+ community. During the Rainbow Laces campaign, we showcase the wide variety of projects and initiatives being conducted all year round to highlight that equality and inclusion are central to everything we do.
“We will continue to ensure that every single Premier League environment is inclusive to all, as well as reinforcing there is no place for discrimination of any kind, wherever it takes place, with those found guilty facing permanent League-wide bans.”
As part of the club’s sustainability strategy, The Halo Effect, Southampton Football Club is committed to treating all of its fans fairly and equally. Find out more about how the club is committed to giving its fans a voice here.
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