The Proud Sky Blues Official Launch at Rainbow Laces Fixture
As part of this year’s Rainbow Laces fixture, the Proud Sky Blues were formally introduced as Coventry City FC’s official LGBTQ+ supporters group.
Since its inception, Coventry City FC have shown their support for the LGBTQ+ community by supporting the Rainbow Laces campaign.
The Rainbow Laces campaign aims to create a broader, louder and more impactful movement for the involvement of LGBTQ+ communities in sport, with the hope that every conversation will take them one step closer to achieving their ambition of making sport everyone’s game.
The Rainbow Laces campaign is supported by clubs from across the professional pyramid in the United Kingdom each year and is celebrating its tenth anniversary, having been founded in 2013. The Sky Blues have chosen to show their support for the campaign at the televised fixture versus West Brom on Monday 30th, October 2023.
Read more about the Rainbow Laces campaign here.
The Proud Sky Blues have been working in collaboration with the football club to officially launch the supporters group to the wider fan base by writing an article for the club’s match day programme.
In the programme, Dave Boddy (CEO of Coventry City FC) writes:
“Tonight’s game sees us show our support for the Rainbow Laces campaign, and in this programme, we are also introducing the new Proud Sky Blues group, representing LGBTQ+ supporters of Coventry City. It is important for us that football is a game that all supporters can attend safely and without being subject to any discrimination, and we look forward to working with Proud Sky Blues and other groups to work towards this aim. There has been an improvement over the years, but unfortunately, incidents do occur, which emphasises the importance of our ongoing work in this area, which this year has also included the equality warm-up tops we wore earlier this season.”
Founder of the Proud Sky Blues, Lewis Wale, wrote an article in the programme from his own experience as an LGBTQ+ fan, why he launched the supporters group, and why campaigns like Rainbow Laces matter:
Today’s fixture is our Rainbow Laces match and also marks the 10th anniversary of the campaign. So, it feels like the perfect occasion to formally introduce myself.
My name is Lewis, and I am the founder of the Proud Sky Blues. The Proud Sky Blues is an independent LGBTQ+ supporters group of CCFC.
I’m grateful that the club has given me an opportunity to talk about our group in today’s programme. Before I get into that, I feel it’s important to talk about my experience as a fan, as well as why our group exists.
I went to my first game in 2001 when I was 9 years old, and I’ve followed the club ever since. I vividly remember my first game, despite the match being a 0-0 draw with Bradford City.
Like most fans, I remember walking up to the stadium and seeing the pitch for the first time. I also remember asking my older brother when we could go to another game. I was hooked right from the start, and it wasn’t many years later that I became a season ticket holder.
However, my relationship with football changed when I was a teenager and came to terms with my sexuality. Shortly after I came out to my friends and family, I found it hard to attend games because I would regularly hear homophobic comments or abuse directed at players. I felt pretty isolated and unwelcome, and eventually, I stopped going part-way through a season and gave up my season ticket.
My story as an LGBTQ+ fan is not unique, though. Too many of us have had the same or very similar experience, so having this supporter group is vital.
It was a couple of years before I felt comfortable going to another match. I returned because the football club began taking part in the Rainbow Laces campaign. Seeing our club publicly supporting the LGBTQ+ community meant so much because it was a sign that I was welcome at matches. I know this was also a big boost for other fans like me.
Like many supporter groups, the Proud Sky Blues is here to share the views of fans with the club. What makes us slightly different is that we have an extra purpose. We want to work with the club to help make the CBS Arena and football, in general, a more inclusive environment.
Many LGBTQ+ fans still do not feel comfortable being their authentic selves when attending football matches. In 2022, a survey completed by Football v Homophobia found that 63% of respondents experienced incidents of physical and verbal abuse, comments from other fans, and homophobic or transphobic chanting at games during the 2021-22 season.
These figures are extraordinarily high, so we are here to work with the club to improve the match day experience and promote the visibility of the club’s LGBTQ+ fanbase.
We believe that football should be a game for everyone, and our group aims to help promote inclusivity within the game and ensure that football is a safe space for LGBTQ+ fans to be themselves.
Most elite clubs already have LGBTQ+ supporter groups, some of which are now over 10 years old and have hundreds, if not thousands, of members.
Since launching in August this year, we already have over 50 members, many of whom are season ticket holders or attend games regularly. We also have some members living abroad who follow the club from afar.
As fans, we share a deep connection with our club. Coming to the football is something we all look forward to. Since Rainbow Laces started in 2013, over a million people have worn the laces as a declaration of their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion and acceptance.
The impact of Rainbow Laces over the last 10 years has been enormous in terms of allowing LGBTQ+ people to feel accepted and welcome in sports and fans to feel more comfortable calling out or reporting abuse.
When we see our club and players lace up for the campaign, our captain wearing a pride armband, or when earlier this season the squad warmed up wearing Hummel’s equality shirt, we feel as if the club we love has our backs and wants us to be a part of the journey.
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LGBTQ+ fans and allies can join the Proud Sky Blues membership programme for free here.
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