Latest news with #RainbowLaces
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
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
Premiership Rugby has reportedly joined football in severing ties with anti-discrimination charity Stonewall and its Rainbow Laces campaign. 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.
The Independent
08-08-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Why rainbow armbands won't be worn by Premier League captains this season
Premier League captains will not wear rainbow armbands this season. The league is understood to have ended its partnership with LGBT+ inclusion charity Stonewall which has run for 10 years. As part of that campaign, captains were asked to wear rainbow-coloured armbands and all players given the option to wear rainbow-coloured bootlaces. As first reported by the Daily Telegraph, the partnership has now concluded and the league will instead develop its own campaign during LGBT+ history month in February, drawing on the increased in-house expertise of the league and its clubs. It is understood captain's armbands will not play a part in any new campaign, or on campaigns around other topics either. During last season's Rainbow Laces campaign, the Football Association issued a reminder to Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi about kit regulations after he wore a rainbow armband that had the words 'I love Jesus' written on it. The FA did not take further action when he wore a similar armband in a subsequent match. The FA did not get involved at all in the case of Ipswich captain Sam Morsy, who chose to wear a standard captain's armband in the two matches covered by last season's campaign owing to his religious beliefs. It is understood Stonewall's campaign will continue via the charity's other Rainbow Laces partners. A Stonewall spokesperson said: 'Rainbow Laces has helped improve LGBTQ+ inclusion, acceptance and participation in sport at all levels, whether player, participant or fan. 'Rainbow Laces has helped to significantly shift the dial and while it can still prove difficult for elite players themselves to be openly LGBTQ+on the pitch, there are now some role models; at the grassroots level it is easier to participate and as a fan the LGBTQ+ community has increasingly felt more accepted. 'Over the years, Rainbow Laces has benefited from a wide range of partners with a natural ebb and flow reflecting cultural and sporting changes. Alongside other sporting bodies the FA has been instrumental in advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion at the grassroots level and more recently the Women's Super League has taken up the mantle as the women's game has grown – enabling Rainbow Laces to reach more diverse audiences. 'Increasingly, the younger generation – where one in 10 identify as LGBTQ+ – are focusing on fitness, health and mental wellbeing. Enabling LGBTQ+ inclusion and participation in sport remains vital; Rainbow Laces and its sporting partners will remain at the centre of those efforts in the years to come.' Top-flight captains have also agreed they and their team-mates will continue to take the knee, but only for the two fixtures designated for the 'No Room For Racism' campaign during Black History Month in October. England's women's team said before their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy that they would no longer take the knee. They said stopping the gesture was intended to be seen as a signal that more needed to be done to tackle racism, in the wake of abuse directed towards England player Jess Carter during the tournament.
RTÉ News
08-08-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Premier League rainbow armbands campaign ends
Premier League captains will not wear rainbow armbands this season after the league is understood to have ended its partnership with LGBTQ+ inclusion charity Stonewall, which has run for 10 years. As part of that campaign, captains were asked to wear rainbow-coloured armbands and all players given the option to wear rainbow-coloured bootlaces. As first reported by the Daily Telegraph, the partnership has now concluded and the league will instead develop its own campaign during LGBTQ+ history month in February, drawing on the increased in-house expertise of the league and its clubs. It is understood captain's armbands will not play a part in any new campaign, or on campaigns around other topics either. During last season's Rainbow Laces campaign, the Football Association issued a reminder to Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi about kit regulations after he wore a rainbow armband that had the words 'I love Jesus' written on it. The FA did not take further action when he wore a similar armband in a subsequent match. The FA did not get involved at all in the case of Ipswich captain Sam Morsy, who chose to wear a standard captain's armband in the two matches covered by last season's campaign owing to his religious beliefs. It is understood Stonewall's campaign will continue via the charity's other Rainbow Laces partners. Top-flight captains have also agreed they and their team-mates will continue to take the knee, but only for the two fixtures designated for the 'No Room For Racism' campaign during Black History Month in October. England's women's team said before their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy that they would no longer take the knee. They said stopping the gesture was intended to be seen as a signal that more needed to be done to tackle racism, in the wake of abuse directed towards England player Jess Carter during the tournament.
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rugby joins FA and Premier League in ditching Stonewall
The Football Association has joined the Premier League in ending its partnership with Stonewall and the charity's Rainbow Laces campaign. It can also be revealed that Premiership Rugby has stopped promoting the campaign amid plans by both to launch new LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives. Telegraph Sport reported on Thursday how the Premier League had terminated its eight-year partnership with Stonewall and had ditched rainbow armbands. The world's richest league plans to launch a new campaign to coincide with February's LGBTQ+ History Month. The FA is said to have ended its own partnership with Stonewall as part of a wider move away from single campaign moments that have had a questionable impact on the fight against bigotry within football. Telegraph Sport has been told Premiership Rugby is close to naming a charity partner, with which it will work on future LGBTQ+ initiatives. News that the Premier League had terminated its own partnership with Stonewall emerged on the same day Premier League captains agreed for players to continue taking the knee this season. The decisions over two symbols which have become plagued by controversy were made during a meeting of the 20 club captains. The Premier League had already ended an eight-year partnership with Stonewall, which launched its Rainbow Laces campaign back in 2013. Telegraph Sport has been told the decision was taken amid the growth of in-house expertise within the league and its clubs. The Premier League, FA and Premiership Rugby have become the latest major organisations to sever ties with Stonewall amid its advocacy for gender ideology that was undermined by this year's Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act. The FA responded to that ruling by banning transgender women from women's football, a decision the charity denounced for being made 'too soon, before the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling has been worked through by lawyers and politicians or before statutory guidance has been issued'. It added: 'It is incredibly disappointing as several of them have been long term and vocal supporters of our Rainbow Laces campaign, advocating for inclusion in sport for all ages and at all levels.' The Premier League's ditching of rainbow armbands comes eight months after Mark Guehi, the England defender, Crystal Palace captain and devout Christian, wrote 'I love Jesus' and 'Jesus loves you' on his in consecutive matches. Guehi did so in breach of FA kit rules and he was issued with a reminder of his responsibility to follow them. Ipswich Town skipper and Muslim Sam Morsy also refused to wear a rainbow armband during the same period but received no such reminder, which saw the FA accused of creating a 'two-tier mess'. Club captains agreed on Thursday that the armband would no longer be used to promote specific campaigns and would feature only the Premier League logo. A Stonewall spokesperson said: 'Rainbow Laces has helped improve LGBTQ+ inclusion, acceptance and participation in sport at all levels, whether player, participant or fan. Rainbow Laces has helped to significantly shift the dial and while it can still prove difficult for elite players themselves to be openly LGBTQ+ on the pitch, there are now some role models; at the grass-roots level it is easier to participate and as a fan the LGBTQ+ community has increasingly felt more accepted.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
08-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Premier League ends partnership with Stonewall
The Premier League will no longer take part in the Rainbow Laces campaign after ending its partnership with LGBTQ+ charity charity and the Premier League began working together in 2017 to "help further promote LGBT+ equality in football".As first reported by the Daily Telegraph,, external the Premier League now plans to launch its own inclusion campaign to coincide with LGBTQ+ History Month in have told BBC Sport that the Premier League is continuing to work with clubs to reinforce the message that discrimination will not be tolerated and that existing education resources remain available."Rainbow Laces has benefited from a wide range of partners with a natural ebb and flow reflecting cultural and sporting changes," a Stonewall spokesperson said."Alongside other sporting bodies the FA has been instrumental in advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion at the grassroots level and more recently the Women's Super League has taken up the mantle as the women's game has grown - enabling Rainbow Laces to reach more diverse audiences."In 2021, the BBC withdrew from a workplace equality scheme run by Stonewall because of questions over whether it could be impartial on issues that the charity was campaigning about. Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign, which launched in 2013, was supported by all clubs in England's top initiative encouraged all Premier League players to wear rainbow-coloured laces and captains rainbow armbands to show support for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, inspire acceptance among children and young people, and promote equality and captain Sam Morsy, a Muslim, decided not to wear the rainbow armband last season, with the club saying it was because of his "religious beliefs".Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi wrote 'I [heart] Jesus' across his armband, while Manchester United abandoned plans to wear a jacket supporting the LGBTQ+ community because a player refused to wear Premier League players have agreed to continue taking the knee in they will perform the gesture, which is linked to the Premier League's "No Room for Racism" campaign, on just two occasions during October's Black History comes after the England women's team announced they would stop taking the knee.
