Aston Villa support Rainbow Laces campaign

Aston Villa will once again demonstrate the club’s ongoing support for LGBTQ+ inclusion by championing Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, beginning with Sunday’s Women’s Super League meeting with Crystal Palace at Villa Park. 

Starting on Saturday, November 16, the campaign will see all Women’s Super League fixtures between November 16 and December 1, and all Premier League fixtures between November 29 and December 5, dedicated to celebrating the ongoing commitment to inclusion and support for LGBTQ+ people in football.

Aston Villa Women will pledge support to the campaign this weekend, before the men’s Premier League visit of Brentford on Wednesday, December 4 (ko 8.15pm) is also dedicated to the cause. 

During both games, rainbow armbands will be worn by captains, while rainbow flags, ball plinths, handshake boards, LED perimeter boards and more will highlight support and demonstrate that football is everyone’s game at Villa Park, in a variety of ways. 

The campaign provides an opportunity to focus on the year-round equality and inclusion work that takes place, as clubs and the league use their platforms to encourage discussion and demonstrate allyship, with education continuing to be an important area of focus.

Aston Villa works closely with official LGBTQ+ Supporters’ Network Villa & Proud, across both the men’s and women’s games, to help create a welcoming environment at Villa Park.

Villa & Proud is one of largest networks in the country, with over 600 members, and will be visible in the Fan Zone for Sunday’s game against Palace.

Their membership combines a unity of the LGBTQ+ community, including allies, with one core motto stressing ‘never underestimate the power of an ally’.

Villa & Proud was initially set up in June 2018 after the club identified the need to support the LGBTQ+ community, launching later that year on November 28.

Villa & Proud’s co-chair and women’s football Sarah Breslin said: “The support from the club through the Rainbow Laces campaign is vital. It provides us with the opportunity to showcase our fantastic members and be the best form of visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.

“It also demonstrates that having the club as an ally and sharing their commitment to inclusion is important for us to continue to work and ensure football is a safe and welcoming environment for all. 

“Both the Rainbow Laces campaign and Villa & Proud as an LGBTQ+ supporters’ network shows that there’s still a lot of work to do around LGBTQ+ inclusion within the game as a whole.

“Dedicated matchdays help us be the visibility our community needs and highlights there is a population of LGBTQ+ people within football, whether that’s fans, staff or players. We have as much right to love football as anyone.”

If you or anyone else would like to find out more information about Villa & Proud or would like to join as a member, visit their social media channels (X, Instagram and Facebook) or website www.villaandproud.co.uk.

The Power of Love Unites

For the first time, Aston Villa is delighted to be part of the adidas Love Unites collection, and has a range available in store and online, launching Sunday, November 17.

Co-created alongside Pabllo Vittar, the collection was designed to adjust to diverse body shapes, celebrating the power of individuality and the strength of unity. To find out more about the Love Unites campaign, please click here. 

Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia have no place at Villa Park, online or anywhere in society. To report any discrimination, supporters at Villa Park can text REPORT to 60060 along with the location of the incident and details of what you have witnessed.

The text line also includes the reporting of any safeguarding concerns. The text service will be supported by our security team and West Midlands Police. Each text costs one standard message at your network rate. The club may share your details with West Midlands Police if further information is required to assist with a criminal prosecution.