Premium Content:

St Kilda and Sydney Swans will play AFL Pride match

st kilda

The AFL have announced the game’s first pride match for next season, reasserting the football codes support for marriage equality in Australia.

- Advertisement -

The Sydney Swans and St Kilda will go head-to-head in a match celebrating diversity in the sport and make a statement against discrimination.

The Age reports that the St Kilda Saints have been lobbying league executives for this fixture, successfully booking a home game for August 13 next year.

Out country footballer and Australian Greens candidate Jason Ball is said to have inspired the match, according to AFL Chief executive Matt Finnis.

Mr Ball was the first player to come out as gay in the public arena. Since then his home club, Yarra Glen, have held a Pride Cup in their home state of Victoria.

Mr Finnis hopes that hosting matches like this one next year will help dispel the notion that LGBTIQ people are not welcome in professional sport.

“Research also shows higher levels of anxiety, mental illness and suicide rates particularly amongst younger people,” Mr Finnis said, “and that’s something which we should all be motivated to counter.”

“For us this is just one small thing we can do to help turn that around.”

The Pride match will be resplendent with a rainbow painted field, as well as Pride themed uniforms for the players on each team.

OIP Staff

Latest

David Goncalves elected Deputy Lord Mayor of Perth

Councillor David Goncalves was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor...

Pride WA and Team Perth celebrate 2030 Gay Games win

A huge thanks has been issued to all the supporters of the bid to bring the event to Perth.

Rosalía teams up with Bjork and Yves Tumor for operatic new single

'Berghain' is the stunning and quirky new single that brings together the three singers.

On This Gay Day | We celebrate the poet Sappho

She's remembered as one of the greatest poets but little of her work has survived.

Newsletter

Don't miss

David Goncalves elected Deputy Lord Mayor of Perth

Councillor David Goncalves was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor...

Pride WA and Team Perth celebrate 2030 Gay Games win

A huge thanks has been issued to all the supporters of the bid to bring the event to Perth.

Rosalía teams up with Bjork and Yves Tumor for operatic new single

'Berghain' is the stunning and quirky new single that brings together the three singers.

On This Gay Day | We celebrate the poet Sappho

She's remembered as one of the greatest poets but little of her work has survived.

Queensland puberty blocker ban is back just hours after it was ruled unlawful

Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls has issued a new ban on transgender youth healthcare.

David Goncalves elected Deputy Lord Mayor of Perth

Councillor David Goncalves was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor at a City of Perth Special Council Meeting on Tuesday evening - the first meeting of the...

Pride WA and Team Perth celebrate 2030 Gay Games win

A huge thanks has been issued to all the supporters of the bid to bring the event to Perth.

Rosalía teams up with Bjork and Yves Tumor for operatic new single

'Berghain' is the stunning and quirky new single that brings together the three singers.