Football is a game for everyone, that’s why Stonewall FC and EA Sports FIFA have come together again to support this year’s Rainbow Laces campaign. From Friday 10th December, FIFA 22 players will have the chance to unlock the club’s iconic Unity kit in-game by completing a series of objectives. The kit will be available in FUT until Friday 17th December.
Developed with the club’s lead partner, Adidas, as part of the Adidas Football Collective, the Stonewall FC Unity kit proudly screams the club’s roots. It houses a stitched modern LGBTQ+ tag on the left sleeve and printed ‘Kick It Out’ logo on the right, as a clear symbol of the club’s stance against all forms of discrimination.
The base of the kit combines the bright, bold colours of pink and blue in a modern camo print to demonstrate the club’s solidarity with the trans community; one of the most marginalised and at-risk groups within the wider LGBTQ+ community.
This year, Stonewall UK’s Rainbow Laces campaign is focused on encouraging both LGBTQ+ community members and allies to ‘Lace-Up and Speak Up’. It’s a shift from wearing laces as a symbol of inclusion, to a pledge to speak up in support for LGBTQ+ inclusion and having conversations that facilitate positive change.
The inclusion of our Unity kit in EA SPORTS FIFA 22 is a proud moment for us as a club. Stonewall UK’s research indicates that 43% of LGBTQ+ people still feel that sport is an unwelcoming space for them, and for over 30 years, our club has existed to offer a welcoming and supportive environment for people to play football irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity. We encourage people to be proud of who they are and create spaces where they can be their authentic selves, whilst playing the sport they love.
We hope that members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies alike will wear our Unity kit with pride – both in-game and in-person – and that the kit sparks positive conversations with friends, family, and networks around the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility and the need to speak up against all forms of discrimination.
A key focus of our partnership with EA SPORTS is to broaden LGBTQ+ awareness through the reach of the FIFA franchise. We are really excited and thankful that millions of people across the world will see the kit in the game!”
Stonewall FC Chair, Alex Baker
The Rainbow Laces campaign has been a huge success (+1 million people have laced up across the last 5 years – Stonewall UK). Despite this figure, there is still work to be done. 82% of LGBTQ+ people across Europe reported having witnessed homophobia, biphobia, transphobia in sport across the previous 12 months (Out In Sport, 2019). Similarly, 1 in 5 sports fans surveyed said they saw anti-LGBTQ+ language as harmless and banter, whilst 45% of fans who saw the Stonewall UK campaign said that they would not feel comfortable speaking up for LGBTQ+ fans or participants at live sporting fixtures (ICM for Stonewall UK, 2020).
We are proud to once again be partnering with Stonewall FC to celebrate the Rainbow Laces campaign and support the mission to make football everyone’s game. They are more than just a club and we are continually inspired by their work to make football inclusive to all. The FIFA community across the globe is powered by unity, by introducing this FUT kit-in game we hope to raise awareness amongst our players and spark positive conversations that make a difference.
EA Sports Marketing Director, FIFA Brand, James Salmon
Stonewall FC fans also have the chance to purchase an official Unity shirt for a final time direct from the club’s store. Stonewall FC will be donating 10% of total profits generated from sales to their club partner, Mermaids, while any wider profits will be reinvested into the club. As an incentive for prospective fans, anyone who orders one (1) Unity shirt between the 8th – 22nd December 2021, will be automatically entered into a competition to win one of six digital editions of FIFA 22. Visit the club’s website for full details.
The Stonewall FC Unity Shirt
Buy your shirt https://stonewallfc.awesomedistro.com/
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