Ahead of EFL's Month of Action for Football v Homophobia, Swindon Town Football Club have joined forces with local organisation and charity Swindon and Wiltshire Pride to bring more awareness to the campaign, which aims to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community by helping to showcase football as a welcoming environment for all.
While bringing awareness and education, the Football Club would also like to signpost people on how to report incidents of discrimination by emailing equality@swindontownfc.co.uk
As part of this campaign, Clubs will be using Puma Rainbow Footballs to play all Sky Bet EFL fixtures during the period of Thursday 6 to Monday 17 February.
Streamlining all departments of the Football Club, members of our first-team including Manager, Ian Holloway, Goalkeeper, Jack Bycroft, and first-team Kitmen, Steve Hooper and Jonah Isaacs were present in our campaign video which included Women's first-team defender, Libby Waylen, Academy's George Alston as well as Swindon and Wiltshire Pride's Phoenix Stewart and Andy Midwinter.
Swindon and Wiltshire Pride has played a crucial role in fostering a supportive and inclusive community for LGBTQ+ individuals in Wiltshire since 2008. The volunteer-run organisation works with local organisations and groups including local schools, and events across Wiltshire and Swindon Wildcats to promote diversity, acceptance, and equality.
Their efforts include year-round fundraising, the creation of a free yearly LGBTQIA + Support Guide for additional support, a safe space and information drop-in centre Pride Hub and a yearly Pride event. Last year the Swindon-based charity were also finalists at the prestigious British LGBT Awards.
Press Manager, Andy Midwinter of Swindon and Wiltshire Pride said: "Football clubs have an important role to play in bringing about social change, and as we look ahead to the EFL’s Month of Action for Football v Homophobia, we can’t underestimate the importance of this campaign in fostering a supportive environment for LGBTQ+ players and fans."
"As a charity, we were invited into the club this week, and it’s so exciting to see such passion from Ian Holloway, his players, and everyone at the club regarding this vital campaign. A recent survey by the organisation ‘Out and Out in Football’ found 74% of respondents had experienced anti-LGBTQ+ abuse when watching football, but I truly believe that together we can create a football community where everyone feels at home and celebrated.”
ED&I Officer, Hannah Peterkin said: "I’m incredibly proud to be supporting this project alongside Swindon and Wiltshire Pride. This exciting new collaboration not only allows us to champion the community throughout February but also paves the way for ongoing support all year long."
Media Executive, Callum Knowles added: "I believe it's really important to use the size of the club to become a catalyst for positive change amongst the community and in Football. There's no room for discrimination in football and as a club, we can do so much more in building relationships with our supporters, the local community, and Swindon and Wiltshire Pride."A massive thank you to Ottr, who was instrumental in putting this project together - Ottr is a creative agency fueled by the love of storytelling with a strong collective passion for filmmaking, and this is infused throughout every project we work on. Based in Swindon, Wiltshire - Dan and his team went above and beyond to capture, edit, and bring this project to life.
For more information or support, Swindon and Wiltshire Pride: Useful Links