NNSWF Partners with Pride in Sport Ahead of Annual Pride Round

Northern NSW Football is delighted to announce it has become the newest member of the Australian Pride in Sport program, committing to further develop and enhance the inclusion of LGBTQ people.

---

ACON Health’s Pride in Sport program is the only sporting inclusion program specifically designed to assist sporting organisations with the inclusions of employees, athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials and spectators with diverse genders and sexualities.

Being a Pride in Sport member means changing practices and working towards a more inclusive, safe and healthy sporting environment for people with diverse sexualities and genders.

NNSWF will celebrate its annual Pride Round this weekend. NNSWF CEO Peter Haynes was excited about the opportunity that Pride in Sport will play when helping to promote messages and examples around LGBTQ inclusion for sport and recreation programs at NNSWF.

“Northern NSW Football is pleased to have partnered with Pride in Sport. We aim to further our inclusive practices so that everyone feels welcome,” Haynes said.

“This partnership directly supports our strategic pillar Enjoyable Football Experience as outlined in our 2024-26 Strategic Plan, which is focused on cultivating a positive and respectful culture across all levels of our game.

“With June being Pride Month and our annual Pride Round scheduled for this weekend, we believe this is the perfect time to share this exciting development with our community.”

Data from the 2020 PSI National Survey showed that just 44 per cent of LGBTQ people felt mentally well within their sport, with 44 per cent of people who are not an active LGBTQ ally saying they were too busy to be engaged in individual activities.

Data from the Out on the Fields study showed that 80 per cent of people have either witnessed or experienced homophobia in sport, with 75 per cent believing that an openly gay person would not be safe as a spectator at a sporting event.

Data from the LGBTIQ+ Health Australia showing that LGBTQ young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely to attempt suicide compared to the general population, with transgender people aged 18 and over nearly 11 times more likely.

Pride in Sport Australia National Program Manager Beau Newell said actual and perceived social exclusion was a leading cause of preventable death in Australia and creating a much healthier and safer sporting culture for LGBTQ people has never been more important.

“By joining Pride in Sport and working with ACON, Northern NSW Football is showing the community that they care about the health and wellbeing of their athletes and members across northern NSW,” Newell said.

“Congratulations to Northern NSW Football for leading the way in changing Australia’s sporting culture to be more inclusive.”

Pride in Sport is Australia’s first and only sexuality and gender diverse sporting inclusion program for the Australian sporting sector.