With Pride: The Premier League’s New LGBTQ+ Inclusion Campaign

The Premier League has announced a new LGBTQ+ inclusion initiative, With Pride, launching in February and signalling a shift in how visible support is shown across the men’s game.

The move follows the league’s decision to end its long-running partnership with Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign last year, which had been part of the Premier League calendar for 12 seasons. In its place, With Pride has been designed to reduce pressure on individual players while reinforcing inclusion as a collective responsibility across clubs and the league.

Under the new approach, players will no longer be required to wear rainbow-themed armbands, laces or warm-up tops. This follows recent seasons in which a small number of players declined to take part in visible Pride activations. Instead, the Premier League has been seeking ways to make support visible without placing the onus on individuals. This includes exploring collective symbols, such as the possible introduction of a pride-themed match ball in future seasons.

With Pride will run across a dedicated double Premier League gameweek from 6 to 13 February. Every club will host a home fixture during this period, giving space for in-stadium activations and collaboration with local LGBTQ+ supporter groups. Pride-related branding will appear across matchdays, including on LED advertising boards, stadium screens, ball plinths and pre-match handshake boards.

Beyond matchday visibility, the campaign places renewed focus on welfare and infrastructure. The Premier League has partnered with Switchboard, the UK’s national LGBTQ+ helpline, which will help train player care teams across clubs and be promoted within stadiums. The league says the aim is to embed long-term support systems for first-team and academy players and staff.

Villa & Proud matchday

Villa & Proud’s dedicated With Pride fixture will be Aston Villa v Brighton & Hove Albion on 11 February.

If you’re attending the match, please let us know by emailing info@villaandproud.org. We’ll be arranging a group photo before kick-off and would love as many members there as possible.