Every Player Belongs: How Pride Cups Are Changing the Game
October 9, 2025
This GiveOUT Day, your donation will be doubled — helping Pride Cup bring inclusion education and Pride Games to 40 more community clubs across Australia.
A movement born from courage
Pride Cup began in a small country town, when Jason Ball came out to his teammates and spoke honestly about the casual homophobia that was part of their club’s culture.
Instead of turning away, his teammates — a group of country footy blokes — decided to step up. Together, they created the first Pride Cup, painting the 50-metre lines in rainbow colours and wearing rainbow jumpers to send one clear message: everyone deserves to belong on the field.
That single act of courage has since grown into a national movement. From local ovals to elite arenas, more than 1,000 sporting clubs across Australia have hosted Pride Games, each one sparking vital conversations and transforming club culture from the inside out.
Why Pride Cups work
Homophobia remains one of the biggest cultural barriers in men’s sport. For too long, change has relied on penalties and policies — but real culture change begins at ground level, in changerooms and clubrooms, with everyday players and leaders.
That’s where Pride Cup comes in.
Multiple studies — including a six-year longitudinal study led by Monash University — have shown that Pride Games are one of the most effective ways to reduce homophobic language and behaviour in sport.
📊 The research found:
- Players at clubs that hosted a Pride Game used around 50% less homophobic language than players at other clubs.
- Those same players reported greater awareness of inclusion and a stronger sense of responsibility to challenge harmful “banter.”
Why? Because Pride Games don’t just celebrate inclusion — they give leaders permission to lead, and teammates permission to speak up. They turn awareness into action.
Every Pride Game is more than a match. It’s the start of cultural change.
The impact of one Pride Cup
Every Pride Cup includes:
🌈 Game-day resources — rainbow armbands, socks, and field markings that make visibility real.
🏉 Club-wide inclusion education — tailored sessions that build understanding, empathy, and leadership.
💬 Support for captains and club leaders — equipping them to start and sustain conversations about respect and belonging.
And the results are real. Clubs that host Pride Games report stronger community engagement, greater player retention, and more young people feeling safe to be themselves in sport.
When players feel seen and supported, the ripple effects reach far beyond the field.
Why GiveOUT Day matters
GiveOUT Day — Australia’s national day of giving to LGBTQIA+ causes — is happening on Thursday 16 October 2025.
This year, Pride Cup is aiming to raise $20,000 — enough to bring Pride Cups to 40 more community clubs around the country.
Even better, every donation made on GiveOUT Day will be matched dollar-for-dollar (up to $1,750 per organisation), thanks to the national matched funding pool.
That means your donation will go twice as far in helping clubs create safer, more inclusive sporting environments.
💪 $500 = one Pride Cup with game-day resources and inclusion education for an entire club.
Culture shifts when we all play
Sport has always had the power to unite people — to bring teammates, families, and communities together. But for too long, that promise of belonging hasn’t been true for everyone.
This GiveOUT Day, you can help change that.
When you fund a Pride Cup, you’re helping leaders start the conversations that change culture. You’re helping players feel proud to show up as themselves. And you’re making sport safer — for everyone.
🌈 Give now. Fund a Club. Change a Culture. Donate today:
https://giveoutday.org.au/o/pride-cup
