Antonio Valencia and Alex Greenwood wearing Rainbow Laces captain's armbands.

United teams to support Rainbow Laces campaign

Wednesday 05 December 2018 10:30

Tonight (Wednesday)'s Premier League fixture against Arsenal and Manchester United Women's match against Durham Women will see both of our teams support Stonewall's Rainbow Laces initiative, as part of the club's #allredallequal campaign.

Manchester United is the only club to work directly with the charity as a member of TeamPride; a coalition of organisations dedicated to LGBT inclusion in sport and strengthening equality, diversity and inclusion within society.

United continues to develop its work within this essential area, as the club’s Pride Network, with the support of an Executive Sponsor, goes from strength to strength as it focuses on ensuring that Old Trafford is an inclusive and welcoming environment to all staff, supporters and visitors.

This has coincided with training for club staff on LGBT inclusion in the workplace, delivered by local charity The LGBT Foundation; upskilling employees to ensure that colleagues are supported and, ultimately, in a position to be themselves whilst at work.

Ahead of kick-off, United’s players will be lining up in front of rainbow branding, which will also be mirrored on plinths and on the substitutions board. Dedicated LED pitchside messages will be on show at Old Trafford this evening (Wednesday), while club social channels will adopt a dedicated rainbow theme; an icon commonly shared within the LGBT community.

At Manchester United Women’s game against Durham Women, which is also taking place this evening (Wednesday) at Leigh Sports Village, staff, players and supporters will be adding their backing to the campaign. Laces are being handed out to supporters, with programme and social media content and dedicated branding being put in place across the stadium.

Speaking of Manchester United’s partnership with Stonewall, our Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold, said: "Our involvement in TeamPride and our work in this area is something that we are all immensely proud of, and demonstrates Manchester United’s long-standing commitment to the club’s values around inclusion. We are fortunate to have staff and supporters from diverse backgrounds, and embrace the responsibility we all have to ensure that Old Trafford is a home for all Reds." 

Casey Stoney, Manchester United Women Head Coach, said: "Equality and inclusion are core values within Manchester United and are promoted both on and off the pitch. We are proud to be supporting Stonewall’s campaigning and encourage our fans to get behind the Rainbow Laces initiative to ensure that football is a sport for everyone." 

Manchester United’s equality, diversity and inclusion work continues to develop as part of the club’s #allredallequal campaign, with ongoing support and backing for Level Playing Field, MUDSA and Kick It Out.