Rugby joins the Premier League in 'SCRAPPING Rainbow Laces initiative' - and 'prepares to launch its own campaign' after severing ties with anti-discrimination charity Stonewall
Last Thursday, the Premier League decided to ditch rainbow armbands and laces in a meeting attended by all 20 of English football's top-flight club captains.
As a result, the governing body terminated its eight-year partnership with Stonewall just days ahead of the new 2025-26 campaign.
Now, according to the Telegraph, Premiership Rugby has followed suit by ending its partnership with the charity, with plans to launch and promote a new LGBTQ + initiative.
The newspaper claims that Premiership Rugby is close to naming a new charity partner, having stopped promoting the Rainbow Laces campaign midway through last season.
Stonewall, which launched its Rainbow Laces campaign in Premier League football back in 2013, has been the subject of a crisis in recent years which has even led to one of its founders turning against it.
After a Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 determined that only biological women are women, Stonewall founder Simon Fanshawe urged bosses to abandon the LGBTQ+ charity due to its long-standing championing of trans rights.
'Employers can now take advice from the highest court in the land rather than from Stonewall and other lobby groups,' Fanshawe, one of six activists who set up the charity, said after the court ruling.
'Previously, in trying to become a Stonewall "Diversity Champion", businesses have often gone beyond the law.
'I would say that businesses should now ignore Stonewall, focus on the judgment, and that way be absolutely clear that their policies are in line with the Equality Act.'
The Premier League, Football Association and Premiership Rugby are the most high-profile sports organisations to sever ties with Stonewall amid its endorsement of gender ideology.
Top flight football's scrapping of rainbow armbands comes eight months after Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, a devout Christian, scrawled 'I love Jesus' and 'Jesus loves you' across his in consecutive Premier League matches.
The England international did so despite breaching the FA's kit regulations and was subsequently reminded of his duty to stick by them.
Guehi was not alone in disagreeing with rainbow armbands, with Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy refusing to wear his altogether.
Racially abused Lionesses star Jess Carter has admitted she breathed a 'sigh of relief' after a white team-mate missed a penalty during England's triumphant Euro 2025 campaign
The Premier League reportedly plans to launch its new campaign to promote inclusivity in line with LGBTQ+ History Month in February.
In last Thursday's meeting, the 20 Premier League captains agreed to continue taking the knee prior to kick off, despite the Lionesses refusing to do so in the wake of Jess Carter stepping away from social media after being targeted with a stream of racist abuse online.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Alexander Isak has already rubbed up Liverpool icons the wrong way as club warned
Alexander Isak's attempt to force a move from Newcastle to Liverpool hasn't gone down well with everyone on the red half of Merseyside as the transfer saga of the summer drags on It's not just those connected with Newcastle United who are unhappy with Alexander Isak's behaviour this summer. The Sweden striker, who has been the subject of a £110m rejected bid from Liverpool, is trying to force a move away from St James' Park. Isak has been training alone after failing to travel for the pre-season tour of Asia. He also did not play a part on Saturday as Newcastle kicked off their Premier League campaign with a goalless draw at Aston Villa, where they failed to score against 10 men. Naturally, his stance has enraged the Magpies' hierarchy and the club's fans, who have branded the 25-year-old greedy and ungrateful. Key Liverpool figures have also been unimpressed with Isak's conduct, though, which could lead to some frosty exchanges should he eventually join the Reds. Here's what some Liverpool legends have said about the Isak transfer saga… Jamie Carragher The highest-profile member of the Liverpool media contingent says Isak has gone about his desire to leave Newcastle in the wrong way. The Sky Sports pundit told the told the i Paper: 'Transfers happen every summer but I don't think you should ever go toxic or nuclear where you refuse to play or train. That may be what forces the move in the end, so who am I to say it's wrong? But I just don't like it. 'They're paying his wages, they've been great to you, you've been great for them, just keep training, keep playing and hope a deal gets done.' Meanwhile, Carragher has issued a warning on Newcastle's £150million valuation, saying on The Overlap: 'It will be an amazing signing. But from a Liverpool fan point of view, I don't want the club to spend £150m on Isak.' He also cautioned that bringing in Isak for such a large fee would adversely affect another summer signing, Hugo Ekitike. Carragher added: "There's something about Liverpool buying a striker [Ekitike] for £80m, and he's a back-up. There's something about it that doesn't sit right to me." Dietmar Hamann Former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder Hamann agrees that £150m is over the odds for Isak. The German said via Casino Sites: 'I think it'll be very hard for Isak to go back to Newcastle now. Even if he doesn't join Liverpool, they've got to find a way of trying to integrate him back into the team. "I suppose he will end up with Liverpool. But how are they going to play then? That remains to be seen. I wouldn't pay £150million. "I think £150million is a spicy price tag for him. He's a very good player. We know he can score goals in the Premier League, but I wouldn't mind if Liverpool start the season with Ekitike up top.' John Barnes Another player who represented both clubs in an illustrious career, Barnes is not enamoured with Isak's conduct. He told the Daily Mail: 'I am not a big fan of it. If you are playing for a club, you have a responsibility to be a good team-mate and character, the fans have been great to you, but this is modern football. 'It could work in favour for Liverpool in terms of him coming, but, after the club has served him well, there are ways to do something. I don't like the idea of players not training or turning up for something if they want to move. But this is modern football and we have to get used to it.' Andy Carroll Carroll made the move from Newcastle to Liverpool in very different circumstances in 2011, having not wanted to leave his boyhood club. The Gateshead-born striker, 36, now of Dagenham & Redbridge, has criticised Isak's conduct, claiming he has severed ties with Magpies fans. Carroll told Sky Sports: 'The way he's playing his cards at the minute, the Newcastle fans are not going to back him. He's not going to help himself and it's a shame because he's such a good player and every Newcastle fan wants him to stay. 'It's not really the same as me because it's not his club. The Geordies took him in and made him one of their own but when he wants to go, that's his mind changed." Michael Owen Owen has insisted Liverpool cannot be blamed for the transfer stand-off, insisting: 'This is not a strange scenario. It's a high-profile scenario, but it's the same scenario as what happens all the time. 'There are a lot of simple things that go into the discussion. From Newcastle's point of view, they've got a player who's under contract, and they've got to weigh up the balance of the finances, what they could receive, maybe having an unhappy player, or maybe keeping someone against his will.' John Aldridge Rather than Isak, ex-Reds striker Aldridge has taken a shot at Newcastle's handling of the situation, calling their valuation of £150million 'ludicrous'. In his Liverpool Echo column, Aldridge said: 'This is not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Isak is a top striker but that sort of fee for a player who clearly wants to leave and has even gone on strike to get it over the line I find incredible. 'It's a situation that has not been handled well up at Newcastle but even their Saudi Arabian owners must realise it might be for the best to move him on and reinvest that money.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Morecambe's new owners sack team boss and hire first-ever Sikh manager
Ashvir Singh Johal has been appointed the new manager of Morecambe FC, making him the first Sikh boss at a professional British club. The 30-year-old's appointment follows the dismissal of Derek Adams and the recent takeover by Punjab Warriors, which prevented the club's extinction. Singh Johal brings coaching experience from his time as first-team coach at Wigan under Kolo Toure and alongside Cesc Fabregas at Como. His immediate priorities include building a squad, as Morecambe currently only have five players under contract, and addressing the postponement of their first two National League games. Singh Johal's long-term aim is to guide Morecambe back into the Football League, while his short-term goal is to ensure the club thrives and retains its place in the National League.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
World Cup final tipped to smash attendance record for women's rugby match
Organisers of the Women's Rugby World Cup expect next month's Twickenham final to smash the attendance record for a women's rugby match. Tickets for the match on Saturday, September 27 have sold out, with approximately 82,000 supporters set to be at Allianz Stadium in south-west London. The existing record for a women's 15s fixture is 58,498, set as England clinched the 2023 Six Nations Grand Slam by beating France 38-33 at Twickenham. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, a crowd of 66,000 watched the opening day of the women's rugby sevens programme at Stade de France. The PA news agency understands governing body World Rugby believes it could have sold out the World Cup final, which will be immediately preceded by the bronze medal match, two or three times over. More than 375,000 of the 470,000 tickets available for the 32 World Cup games have been snapped up ahead of Friday's opener between England and the United States at Sunderland's Stadium of Light. Rugby World Cup 2025 chair Gill Whitehead said: 'The final, we are very confident will be the most attended women's rugby match in history, easily surpassing the 66,000 crowd that we saw in Paris 2024. 'I started playing women's rugby 30 years ago and the prospect of girls running out of the tunnel, playing to the three tiers of Allianz packed to the rafters is something perhaps I never hoped or thought I would see. It's certainly what girls' dreams are made of.' England last staged the competition in 2010 when a crowd of just over 13,000 watched the hosts beat current reigning champions New Zealand 13-10 in the final at Twickenham Stoop. Rugby World Cup 2025 managing director Sarah Massey said total ticket sales have already surpassed initial targets and are three times the number bought at the 2021 tournament in New Zealand, which took place a year later than planned due to the coronavirus pandemic. A crowd of 42,579 watched the Black Ferns claim the trophy in 2022 by defeating the Reds Roses 34-31 at Eden Park in Auckland. 'We're ready to break records in attendances, viewership and engagement,' Massey said. 'This is going to be the biggest global celebration of women's rugby that we have ever seen. 'Our message to fans is, don't miss out. This is going to be unmissable. You're going to see thrilling action, electric atmospheres, and those remaining tickets are really selling fast.'
