Just 6% of young LGBTIQ+ people play sport because they say it’s too homophobic.
In small towns, the local team is often the place where everyone goes for community, friendship, volunteering, and a sense of belonging. For LGBTIQ+ people, they can be forced to choose between who they are and feeling that they belong.
At Pride Cup, we’re on a mission to make sports a place where everyone feels welcome and included—we need your support this GiveOut Day to help us make sport everyone’s game.
Who We Are: Pride Cup and Our Mission
Our journey began as a powerful gesture of community and unity in the local footy clubrooms of a regional Victorian town. We’ve since evolved into a national movement celebrating the LGBTIQ+ community across various sporting codes and towns throughout Australia.
When Jason Ball came out as gay to his teammates at the Yarra Glen Football Netball Club in 2012, he thought it would be the end of his footy career. Running out on the ground and playing for his town was no longer worth the pain of hiding his true self from his teammates and community. But his team had something else in mind, they were gutted to know that’s how Jason felt, and wanted to show him that they had his back. The team came up with the idea to stage a Pride Cup, with players wearing rainbow jumpers and the 50 metre lines painted in rainbows.
Pride Cup has grown exponentially since the first game out in Yarra Glen – with over 515 clubs involved in a Pride Cup event across a wide array of sporting codes – from footy, to hockey, roller derby to lawn bowls, netball, water polo and beyond.
Pride Cup events are joyous, celebratory statements of love and acceptance for LGBTI+ players, spectators and members of the local community that have an immediate and direct impact.
GiveOUT Day: Celebrating Unity and Giving Back
GiveOUT Day is a day dedicated to giving to LGBTIQ+ organisations in Australia. Our organisation, like many others, is dedicated to serving the LGBTIQ+ community. LGBTIQ+ organisations work tirelessly to increase access to services, promote equal rights, and provide much-needed relief and resources.
While our work is vital, almost half of LGBTIQ+ organisations in Australia operated on less than $10,000 in 2021. They achieve remarkable results with limited resources, but with your support, we can achieve so much more.
How You Can Make a Difference on GiveOUT Day
On GiveOUT Day, you have the opportunity to be a part of this incredible movement and support Pride Cup in our mission to make sports a place where everyone feels welcome, valued, and included. Here’s how you can participate and make a lasting impact:
🌈 Donate: It costs at least $500 to run a Pride Cup, reaching both participating teams with a free LGBTIQ+ inclusion session and supporting their game day, and the demand is growing rapidly across Australia. By donating, you’ll support us to reach more clubs, provide education sessions, and facilitate Pride Cup game days, please donate today.
🌈 Become a Fundraising Champion: Go above and beyond by becoming a fundraising champion for Pride Cup. Encourage your network, friends, and family to support this cause. You can create your fundraising page and inspire others to contribute.
🌈 Share Our Content: You can amplify our voice this GiveOUT Day by sharing our social media content with your networks. Spread the word about Pride Cup, and the importance of supporting the LGBTIQ+ community.
Why Pride Cup is Participating in GiveOUT Day
At Pride Cup, we are dedicated to creating lasting change in the world of sports. Education is the key to making this change possible. Monash University and VicHealth have found that Pride Cup clubs report four times less homophobic behaviour and attitudes than other clubs. This highlights the positive impact of our work in making sports more inclusive.
To continue this journey, we are seeking to raise $10,000 on GiveOUT Day. These funds will enable us to reach 40 more clubs with education sessions and support for Pride Cup game days. We have ambitious targets, and we need your support to achieve them. Your contribution will make a significant difference in promoting inclusivity and respect in sports, please donate today!
Join Us in Making Sport Everyone’s Game
Pride Cup events create leaders and fill people with joy and pride as they make bold statements of unity, respect, and inclusion about their clubs and their people.
So, if you have the means, we encourage you to chip in $20 or any amount you can to support Pride Cup this GiveOUT Day. By doing so, you’ll help us make sports everyone’s game. Together, we can foster a more inclusive and accepting environment for the LGBTIQ+ community in sports and beyond.
Help us grow the pot of gold under the rainbow 🌈
