Leeds United have been working with all age groups in the Academy up to the Under-23s and first team around LGBTQ+ History Month throughout February.
Our first-team players and Under-23 players were the first to take part in a training session with the Sport Engagement Manager at Stonewall, making them the first Premier League team to ever take part in such activity. Whilst our younger age groups in the Leeds United Academy have all taken part in interactive workshops based at Elland Road and Thorp Arch training ground, including designing their own posters displaying why equality, diversity and inclusion are so important along with showcasing how Leeds United is one big family, no matter your sexual orientation.
LGBTQ+ History Month takes place every February and it is the annual month-long campaign and observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history, as well as the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements.
The campaign has been running since 1994 and it offers the chance to shed new light on the history of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in the UK.
The Club, Academy and Foundation continue to strive for inclusivity and diversity and once again wanted to show their support for the annual event and mark the occasion by hosting and delivering various workshops, helping to educate players, members of staff, and charity participants around the history of the LGBTQ+ community.
Erin Williams, the Sport Engagement Manager at Stonewall, commented on the importance of having the first team involved for the 2022 campaign and she said: “It was really fantastic to speak with them, it’s a big thing that they’re here and that they’re spending their time doing something like this, I know training schedules can be ridiculously busy, but this was so important and the fact the guys were taking the time out to learn and to open up, I think that was a massive step, not just for the club but for football overall. This effect could be huge.
“We work with Academies and community foundations and seeing so many people doing sessions with us is brilliant. Them being able to then share what they’ve learnt is really big and it’s becoming more public. Most importantly it’s about what’s going on in your head and people trying to work out who they are, and so with the public side of things, people are going to have more positive examples to help with their own experiences.”
Please take a look below at a gallery of images from some of the sessions conducted with Stonewall throughout February. And if you would like more information around the work being delivered by Stonewall, please click here.
