Premier League ends rainbow laces partnership

After eight years of partnership, the Premier League will no longer be a part of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Campaign. This is a big change for how English football’s top division views LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The Premier League and Stonewall have been collaborating since 2017 to promote the Rainbow Laces Campaign, which was launched in 2013. The initiative encouraged players and clubs to wear rainbow laces. Supporters were also encouraged to show their support for LGBTQ+ individuals across the game by wearing rainbow themed branding. Every season, the campaign was promoted through a series of fixtures. To do this, stadiums, broadcasters, official Premier League channels, and even players themselves wore rainbow-coloured laces.

That partnership should conclude before the 2025–26 season. The Premier League will instead launch a new internal campaign in February to coincide with the LGBTQ+ History Month. The league said that this initiative would continue to promote diversity and inclusivity, but in a more encompassing way. It will also include under-represented football groups and multiple communities. The decision has led to questions regarding the future visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ+ players in the Premier League. The league does not require or coordinate official display on matchdays, so players and clubs can use the colours as they wish. This means, in practice, that rainbow colours will be less visible on televised matches and stadiums depending on how many teams or individual players choose to use them.

According to a spokesperson from the Premier League, the move is a result of a desire for inclusion efforts to be consolidated under one campaign, that the league will oversee directly. The league claims that this move will enable it to tackle a wider variety of issues including LGBTQ+ representation, anti-racism and gender equality as well as accessibility for disabled supporters. Officials stressed the Premier League’s commitment towards inclusivity and said that its forthcoming campaign would reaffirm the league’s stance against all forms of discrimination.

The reactions have been divided. Some campaigners and fans have stated that the decision to step back from a visible and long-running initiative may reduce representation for those groups that felt included in the campaign. Nevertheless, many football fans and commentators were happy with the decision, saying that the focus should be on the game itself. Many fans and commentators believe that, despite their good intentions, political or social campaigns can distract from the sport, and divide supporters who watch football to compete in athletic competitions rather than for personal or ideological reasons.

Others suggest, however that creating a Premier League led initiative could allow greater flexibility and consistency, ensuring inclusion is embedded during the entire season instead of tied to a singular external campaign. By taking responsibility for its message, it may be possible for the league to seamlessly integrate inclusivity across its wider outreach and community programmes. The Premier League has ended its most visible partnership with a campaign to raise awareness of the league’s work. The league will soon announce its new February campaign. Until then the league will follow its regular schedule, without the Rainbow Laces fixture series that has been a regular feature of the calendar since 2017