06 October 2023 , 06:30
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Stonewall have insisted more work still needs to be done as the LGBT+ charity celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the Rainbow Laces campaign.
The campaign sees athletes from across professional sport don rainbow-coloured laces, with stadiums also taking on a rainbow colour scheme. The aim of Rainbow Laces is to drive equality for LGBT+ people, with the community having a high-likelihood of facing discrimination within sport.
The campaign has been a clear success, with a new report from Stonewall stating 78 percent of respondents said they would not be embarrassed if their favourite player came out as gay, while 74 percent would be happy to play alongside a bisexual teammate and 60 percent alongside a trans teammate.
But while there has been success, the report also shows that much more work needs to be done as the campaign enters its second decade. Only 56 percent agreed that gay sportspeople are good role models, while only 35 percent agree that live sports events provide a welcoming environment for LGBT+ fans.
With that in mind, Stonewall are now looking at relaunching the campaign in people's minds. Though they are delighted with the progress so far, the charity's director of programmes Liz Ward is keen to push even harder for progress.
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Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football at the campaign's launch event, Ward said: "We've realised that 2013 was a long time ago, football was very, very different, the Premier League was very, very different, the WSL was not professional.
"In that time we've won so much. We've seen players come out, every Premier League team takes part in Rainbow Laces. We've seen fan attitudes change to whether or not you would support a gay footballer on your team.
The campaign has been a staple at matches since 2013 (Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)"But we're realising that it's 2023, we still have to keep it up if we're going to achieve this world in which every LGBT+ person feels accepted in the sport they love. We're using this as a launchpad for the next 10 years, to say 'we've won so far, it's only half-time, let's keep it up'.
"The changes we have seen has really been phenomenal. I guess what I would say is that the one thing we haven't yet managed to interrupt or get a hold on are the sheer levels and volumes of online hate. That feels like the next challenge for the next 10 years."
A concerning trend in recent years has been a lack of players actually wearing the laces in football. In sports such as cricket and tennis though, stars such as Ben Stokes and Liam Broady have thrown their weight behind the campaign and show their public support.
Mirror Football exclusively revealed last week that Stonewall are sending Jordan Henderson a pair of Rainbow Laces after his move to Saudi Arabia. Henderson had been one of the few Premier League stars to wear the laces and Ward is hoping that other footballers pick up the mantle.
"I really hope so. We're fighting a battle with the increase of laceless boots in the Premier League which is somewhat a challenge. I don't know if we begin to move our campaign onto the shirts and have rainbow logos or rainbow numbers," she added.
"But certainly the responses to players like Jake Daniels or Josh Cavallo, especially in the men's game was just phenomenal. You saw players from all around the world wanting to show their support and really demonstrate this interconnected football community.
"It's amazing and outside of football, whether it's rugby or tennis or cricket, the rainbow stumps is fantastic. Seeing that rainbow symbol is a way of saying without using words that you are accepted in this game, you'll be celebrated in this game, you can come and play this game. And I think that's the most beautiful thing."