Rainbow Laces – Lace up and Speak Up: Driving Change 

The FA and County FA network are delighted to be backing the rainbow laces campaign. 

Sport can bring so many benefits to our lives – not just in terms of well-being, but also in the ways sport brings people together. People from all walks of life can gain a sense of belonging and community through a shared passion. LGBTQ+ people deserve to be a part of this. We shouldn’t feel excluded or shut out just because of who we are.

To find out more

Hart Gables X North Riding FA 

We are proud to have established a hub, in partnership with Hart Gables- Teesside’s Leading LGBTQ+ charity. North Riding FA has developed a bespoke football-themed monthly session with Hart Gables, to eliminate barriers and access to football. 

The Hart Gables Project Officer said: "There are many barriers for LGBTQ+ people taking part in football, from the lack of professional footballers who feel able to be ‘out’ and proud, to memories of bullying in the school changing rooms before PE. 

Many of our service users were apprehensive about getting involved in sports before taking part in the work with James, Jasmine and others from North Riding FA. 

Some of them are big football fans but experiences of homophobia and transphobia in the past have meant they only watch it on television in the privacy of their home and don’t venture out to see matches or take part in games themselves. 

By championing the message that football is for everyone, North Riding FA has allowed our service users to engage with the game of football in a friendly and safe environment. 

For some, it has reinvigorated their love of football, and for others, it has broadened their horizons and introduced them to something they never would have imagined being part of before."

To find out more information please contact support@northridingfa.com