The football club is strengthening its commitment to LGBTQ fans.
Manchester United and Stonewall have announced a new partnership aiming to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion within the premiership football club.
The club has signed up to Stonewall’s Diversity Champions and Workplace Allies programmes, meaning it has access to expert consultation, training and dedicated resources from Stonewall to support its LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives.
It also means that non-LGBTQ+ employees within the club have access to ways to promote and support an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace.
Manchester United has already taken steps in order to become more inclusive, it has its All Red All Equal banner, which challenges hate crime and discrimination on social media and in 2017 it was the first football club to join Stonewall’s TeamPride coalition, which aimed to tackle discrimination within sport and wider society.
The club has also supported the Rainbow Laces initiative and launched an LGBTQ+ supporters group, the Rainbow Devils.
Praising the partnership between the two, Nancy Kelley, the chief executive of Stonewall said: “It’s so important for organisations to actively work towards making sport everyone’s game.
“Many LGBT+ people want to take part in sport, either as players or fans, but at the moment not everyone feels welcome. We also know that most sports fans want to see sports be better and more inclusive.
“To make this happen, we need individuals and organisations to step up to show their support for LGBT+ people and that’s what Manchester United have done today.
“We’re excited to continue our journey with them from being a founding member of TeamPride, to now joining us as a Diversity Champion. We look forward to working with them to help further LGBT+ equality in football.”
Richard Arnold, the group managing director for Manchester United, said: “We’re immensely proud of our relationship with Stonewall and delighted to be taking it to the next level with this strategic partnership. Diversity is a source of strength for Manchester United and ensuring a welcoming environment for LGBT+ employees and fans is a crucial part of that.
“We’re committed to making equality, diversity and inclusion integral to the way we work and this partnership with Stonewall will help us achieve that important goal, building on the range of other initiatives we have under way as part of our All Red All Equal campaign.”
And Eric Najib, the leader of the Rainbow Devils, added: “We’re proud to support and work alongside a club that is committed to creating an inclusive environment for LGBT+ people. There is still a lot more work to do but this partnership with Stonewall is another welcome step in the right direction.”
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