Lace up and please show your support
Putting your Non-League kicks to one side for a moment, if you were watching any Premier League or EFL football this weekend, you may have noticed a splash of added colour in the form of Rainbow Laces worn by many of the game’s biggest stars. The vibrant colour scheme is not football sending out a fashion statement, but rather a concerted effort to help tackle the issue of homophobia that has blighted the game for too long – both on the pitch and off it. The campaign runs this weekend through to December 3, and the rainbow theme will also be on display with pitch flags as well as scoreboard branding to help show support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusivity.
It should be noted that the campaign is not aimed at supporting and encouraging more footballers to come out and declare their sexuality – although that would be a positive knock-on effect – but rather to encourage a more open attitude that is respectful to any individual sitting next to you at a match. Homophobic abuse is keeping too many men and women away from the game. No fan should feel alienated and victimised, even if abuse from the terraces is more flippant and in no way directed at them.
Of course it’s not just football where this problem lies, and many other sports are getting behind Stonewall’s Rainbow Lace project. But football, and its long-standing, pre-painted reputation for the red-blooded male, is where the biggest problems of sporting homophobia lurk.
While I can do nothing but applaud the Premier League and the EFL for helping to tackle this issue, (and of course they have the platform within the media landscape to promote the LGBT’s stance more), I believe Non-League football can offer even more support to people who don’t have the confidence to attend a match because they do not fit the description of what a football fan ‘should’ be.
The Non-League community is quick to pat itself on the back and proclaim its acceptance of fans who love the game in its purest form. So what better way to stamp out the abuse that is keeping minorities away. Football has come a long way since the dark days of macho violence in the seventies and eighties, but until we kick out the homophobic abuse, the self-proclaimed title of ‘The Beautiful Game’ will be a false one.
So join in with the Rainbow Laces even if you think it doesn’t concern you, because it does. You can make a difference and the laces are available via the Stonewall online shop (for a sum of £2.99). You will be showing your support for a great campaign and you will be showing you really do care. Your actions will make football better for everyone. Make a statement, all be it with a nice splash of colour.