Aston Villa is a proud supporter of the Rainbow Laces

Aston Villa is a proud supporter of the Rainbow Laces

In honour of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign,

Aston Villa will once again show its continued support for LGBTQ+ inclusivity

when it plays Manchester City on Wednesday.

‘Let’s Lace Up to Keep It Up’ is the theme for all Premier League games from December 2–7,

which commemorates Rainbow Laces’ 10th anniversary.

In addition to showing the necessity for further efforts to guarantee that

sport is a safe haven for members of the LGBTQ+ community,

this article examines how inclusive sport has grown over the past ten years.

Captains will don rainbow armbands; rainbow pyros, banners, ball plinths,

handshake boards, LED perimeter boards,

and other elements at Villa Park will also serve to show support and illustrate

the idea that football is a game for everyone.

With education remaining a key area of focus,

the campaign offers a chance to highlight the year-round work that is done in

the areas of equality and inclusion, as clubs and the League utilise their platforms to

promote dialogue and show allyship.

For the benefit of the women’s and men’s teams alike,

Aston Villa collaborates closely with the official LGBTQ+ Supporters’ Network Villa & Proud to

help foster a friendly atmosphere at Villa Park.

With more than 600 members,

Villa & Proud is one of the biggest networks in the nation.

In honour of their fifth anniversary, the network will be visible for

Wednesday night’s game against City at both The Lower Grounds and the Fan Zone.

Their motto, which emphasises the importance of “never undervaluing the power of an ally,”

unites the LGBTQ+ community and includes allies.

After determining that the club needed to support the LGBTQ+ community,

Villa & Proud was first established in June 2018 and launched on November 28 of the same year.

From the beginning, the group’s goal has been to be the most visible in the community,

with the specific goal of empowering, supporting,

and fostering LGBTQ+ inclusivity for Aston Villa Football Club players,

staff, and supporters as well as the larger football community.

Over the past five years,

Villa & Proud has made significant progress that can be measured in a variety of ways.

These include winning awards,

helping in the community, expanding their global network,

playing at Birmingham Pride with club support,

winning awards and strengthening their relationship with the club to

raise awareness and foster a sense of unity.

The network has big ambitions for the future.

They want to bring an annual LGBTQ+ sports event to Birmingham,

and they are working on an exciting project to build their very own

“#BeVillaProud Pride Shop,”

with all proceeds going to a new community fund to benefit local charities.

We reached 5 today 🥹

Our passion is to bring our community, club, and football as a whole the highest possible visibility for the LGBTQ+ community 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We appreciate your support, which makes our job simpler 💜#AVFC #BeVillaProud

🤝 pic.twitter.com/1WnyXTMYpd @AVFCOfficial @AVWFCOfficial
— November 28, 2023, Villa & Proud (@VillaAndProud)

Samuel Timms, co-chair and creator of Villa & Proud, stated:

“Our relationship with the club is extremely important and is getting stronger every year.”

Since Villa & Proud has been operating for five years,

we have observed improvements in our communication,

our leadership during events, the presence of Aston Villa, and the club’s ongoing support.

It is beyond my comprehension that I could have predicted or achieved such success with Villa & Proud.

We now have over 600 members, and I can still remember when we had just 23.

“We’re excited about what Villa & Proud will look like in five years. We have some big plans ahead of us.”

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