Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion organisation, have released a film featuring players from every Premier League club which seeks to promote LGBT+ inclusion in football and emphasise that homophobic, biphobic or transphobic (HBT) discrimination has no place in the game.
The short film features Premier League stars such as Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata, Manchester United’s Juan Mata, Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany and Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck.
LGBT+ inclusion remains a central part of Kick It Out’s work and the film encourages supporters to report any abuse they witness or suffer – whether it’s to a steward or to Kick It Out via its free reporting app.
The film builds on Kick It Out’s work last year with the Home Office and True Vision, when the organisation released a series of informative resources that raise awareness of HBT discrimination within football stadia.
The resources included a comprehensive booklet and small pocket guide designed to assist stewards and safety officers in their understanding of HBT discrimination and how to effectively challenge this behaviour, as well as a short film following five individuals from the LGBT+ community who discussed
the impact of abuse on their matchday experience.
You can view the film accompanying the resources here:
Elaine Bond, Notts' designated safeguarding officer, said: "Here at Notts County we are working to ensure inclusion for everyone at the club and back this campaign wholeheartedly.
"We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any kind of discrimination, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT).
"If you hear or witness anything at the club please report this using the Kick out app or by talking to any of our stewards."
Roisin Wood, CEO of Kick It Out, was delighted to work closely with every Premier League club to produce the film and send a clear message that HBT discrimination is unacceptable in football and wider society.
“Kick It Out have been campaigning for LGBT+ inclusion in football for a long time and it’s wonderful that we’ve been able to bring all 20 clubs together for the first time in our history to take a stand against HBT discrimination," she said.
"This is about the collective force of the game uniting to eliminate behaviour that has no place in the game.
“We also wanted to send out a positive message to fans across the world and make it clear that LGBT+ supporters are part of the foundations of football – just like any other fan.”
Bill Bush, Executive Director of the Premier League, added: “This film produced by Kick It Out features all our member clubs and highlights the need to challenge homophobic, biphobic and transphobic behaviour across the sport.
"The Premier League is embraced across the world and we are proud to show our continued support for LGBT+ inclusion in football.”