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The A-League intends to launch its first pride round across both the men’s and women’s competitions next month – but with the caveat that no player or club will be forced to take part if it conflicts with their personal beliefs.
Captains will be given the option to wear a rainbow armband and no player will be forced to wear something they are uncomfortable with.
It is understood that the weekend of February 24-26 has been pencilled in to host the initiative. The weekend’s showpiece event will be a double header on the Sunday between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United men’s and women’s sides.
Both Victory and Adelaide are set to unveil their own special kits on Monday and will compete for the Pride Cup.
The Pride Cup was launched last year after Victory fans abused Adelaide player Josh Cavallo – the competition’s only openly gay male player.
It will be the first time Cavallo has returned to AAMI Park to face Victory since he was met with homophobic slurs from the club’s supporters.
The move comes after similar initiatives in the NRL – with the infamous Manly Pride jersey controversy – and the NBL, where the Cairns Taipans club chose to wear their regular uniforms after an unspecified player objected to a small rainbow patch designed to mark the round.
Mindful of being dragged into a public relations firestorm like the NBL, the Australian Professional Leagues have been holding seminars with clubs.
Players have been receiving education in recent months about why a pride round is an important step for the sport. While some clubs will launch specific jerseys there has been no league-wide mandate.
The reaction by certain clubs during NBL Pride Round was met with dismay by Isaac Humphries, the only openly gay player in the league, who told ESPN: “When it comes to inclusion, I will always stand up and speak out when needed for my sport, for my community, and I’m disappointed for my LGBTQ+ family of athletes and coaches who live silently in the closet.
“If we are going to move forward with true equality, equity and inclusion in sport for LGBTQ+ athletes, we have to start by getting honest. We have to acknowledge there is a problem,” he said.
“I will continue to encourage us all to come together, respect each other, lift each other up, and I will use my platform to give voice to the voiceless. Each of us needs to ask ourselves: what kind of courage did we display when our leadership moment arrived?”
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