LACE UP AND SPEAK UP
Each and every one of us has a part to play in making football, a Game for All.
And it starts with a simple act: put on your Rainbow Laces and start a conversation in your community about why you are supporting the Rainbow Laces campaign this year.
Cumberland FA are delighted to be working in partnership with The FA and Stonewall for this year’s Rainbow Laces Campaign.
The Rainbow Laces Campaign will take place from Thursday 25th November until the 12th December. The 8th December will be this years landmark ‘wear your rainbow laces day’, where teams, leagues, businesses, schools and leading sports personalities all over the word will be getting together to wear their laces with pride.
LACE UP AND SPEAK UP: DRIVING CHANGE
Cumberland FA have 7 squad sets of Rainbow Laces for Cumberland Adult Teams and 20 pairs for registered CFA Match Officials to utilise throughout the Stonewall Rainbow Laces campaign. Teams can also purchase laces, but we have 7 sets for teams to use during the activation period (and beyond)
UPDATE* Cumberland FA's allocation has now been confirmed. You can still get involved by purchasing Rainbow Laces direct from Stonewall UK - or support the campaign in other ways. Check out the activation pack for ideas.
Participation from Cumberland leagues, clubs and other organisations throughout the Rainbow Laces campaign shows support in your local community, and we hope you will show your support by engaging with the campaign throughout this period so that together, we can make football everyone’s game.
We encourage clubs and leagues to pledge their support to the campaign by clicking here and by following the guidance in the FA Rainbow Laces Activation Pack as well as heading to the Stonewall website for more information and to buy rainbow laces.
All are encouraged to wear them to work, take and post pictures to social media, and visibly show their support for LGBTQ+ people in football. Please do tag us in your posts with the hashtag #RainbowLaces
We hope you’ll show your support by engaging with the campaign throughout this period so that together, we can make football everyone’s game. As we lace up this year, the call to action will be to have a conversation about why you are wearing Rainbow Laces.
These conversations can be with friends and family, in a club or with team mates. The activation pack covers some great conversation starters, alongside ideas on how to plan and execute your campaign or show your support for the campaign.
FA Chief Executive, Mark Bullingham, writes: “We passionately believe everyone should have the opportunity to be involved in football, and to feel safe and comfortable when they do. One of the ways we show this is by supporting campaigns which align with our own beliefs, such as the Rainbow Laces campaign. And this year, our collective effort encourages action, under the theme of Lace Up and Speak Up. Working with Stonewall UK and all across football we are moving the laces on from not only being a symbol of inclusion, but also being a pledge of commitment; a commitment to speak up in the conversations that matter.
"By wearing Rainbow Laces, we’re asking people to not only show their support, but to go one step further and open up the conversation about why they support the cause. To speak to friends, family, colleagues, teams and clubs because every conversation matters if we are to truly make football everyone’s game."