The Rainbow Seagulls

Members of Brighton and Hove Albion tell Craig Hanlon-Smith why inclusion is so important to them and how they are making sure they continue to promote diversity and equality

Brighton and Hove Albion (BHAFC) have increasingly embraced the LGBTQ communities in our city over many years and more recently publicly challenged homophobia. The stadium at Falmer often referred to as the Amex, is actually called The American Express COMMUNITY Stadium and BHAFC put the community of Brighton and Hove at the heart of what they do. The club celebrated Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Campaign and made a clear statement in its support of not only the campaign, but the LGBTQ community, which is as synonymous with Brighton and Hove as the club itself. The stadium is regularly awash with LGBTQ rainbow flags and its match day programmes feature interviews with management, staff and players, outlining the importance of the diversity and inclusion initiatives including celebrating the LGBTQ communities.

Rose Read, head of people and culture at the Albion, has said: “We were so overwhelmed with the reception we received from the community in having a presence at Brighton Pride, as a club we are delighted to be supporting again this year and to be part of such a key event in the city’s calendar.”

Player and Captain Lewis Dunk, of the club’s involvement in the Rainbow Laces campaign, says: “We are proud to get behind such an important campaign and we know that football has the power to bring everyone together. We stand strongly alongside the club, the Premier League and Stonewall in promoting equality and diversity.”

But it’s not just the football players of both the men’s and women’s teams who are LGBTQ allies. The whole organisation has embraced a number of initiatives to promote inclusion and to celebrate diversity. We asked some Brighton and Hove Albion staff members their views on what it means for the club to be an ally of the LGBTQ+ Community and this is what they said.

Chief Operating Officer, Paul Mullen: “I believe that, as a club, we are a positive ally to the LGBTQ community and have demonstrated our commitment to this in a number of ways. For example, we have been a very active supporter of and participant in Brighton Pride and have used this to showcase how we aim to treat everyone with respect and dignity and seek to provide a positive environment for all of our stakeholders, free from discrimination, harassment, victimisation or abuse. Actively supporting the Rainbow Laces campaign is another example of our commitment to promote equality and diversity with our women’s first team adorned in rainbow coloured numbers on the back of players’ shirts, being a first in professional football in this country.

“We also work hard to ensure that all visitors to the Amex, training ground and any events we undertake feel comfortable and respected and ensure that our staff are provided with the skills and knowledge through training to be confident in challenging those individuals who may wish to not behave in the way we expect them to do. However, clearly we can do more and we are working to identify meaningful opportunities to demonstrate how best we can meet the needs of a diverse population within a multi-cultural society.”

Supporter Services Manager, Sarah Gould: “I feel passionate about being an ally to my fellow colleagues & supporters and am extremely proud to have been heavily involved in the club’s equality, diversity and inclusion work in recent seasons. Making positive change is incredibly important to me and I am delighted to play in Brighton & Hove Albion’s journey.”

Marc Dring, Marketing Manager: “We know that football has the power to bring everyone together and it is vital that everyone feels welcome at football matches. As an ally who feels strongly that sport should be for everyone, I feel fortunate that my role at Brighton & Hove Albion means I can realise this belief.

“Our active presence at Brighton Pride, coupled with our zero-tolerance approach to homophobic abuse at the American Express Community Stadium, illustrate our commitment to football being a sport for all.”

Adrian Morris, Head of Safety and Security: “While the focus of the club’s work is on promoting inclusivity and raising awareness, we also take action when witness to homophobic abuse. Our zero-tolerance stance to homophobia has resulted in perpetrators being ejected from matches, with some also arrested and receiving lifetime bans and police sanctions. We aim to make the Amex the most inclusive stadium for both home and travelling fans to watch football.”

Lewis Dunk, First Team Captain: “We are proud to welcome LGBT + groups and fans to our stadium, and want to ensure they feel as welcome as anyone else when they come to watch us play.

“Homophobia and transphobia, just like racism, have no place in football, and anyone with those prejudiced views is not welcome in our game. I know the club does a lot of work to make football a more inclusive game for everyone, and as players, we are proud to help in any way we can.”

Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman, Paul Barber: “The world of football spans the globe and we are fortunate to be playing at the highest level and in the biggest league in terms of global reach. This has given the club the opportunity to support the concepts of inclusion, equality and diversity from a large platform and we do this with great pride. We represent the city that we call home and are playing our part supporting local LGBT+ groups and encouraging more LGBT+ people to join our football community whether that be as a fan, a staff member or indeed as a player. “