A-Leagues Launch 2025 Pride Celebration

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL), alongside Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), is proud to announce the continuation of the leagues annual Pride Celebrations, signifying the code’s ongoing commitment to make football accessible and inclusive for everyone.

Set to take place from March 14 to 30, across both the Ninja A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men, the 2025 celebration is again grounded in education and builds on the success of the past two seasons where the A-Leagues became the first league in the world to hold simultaneous men's and women's Pride Celebrations.

Over the last three-and-a-half-years, APL and PFA’s partner Pride Cup has developed and delivered a series of training programs for players, staff, executives and partners.

In 2025, the A-Leagues will once again provide LGBTIQ+ inclusion training to all players and key stakeholders. The training content will focus on the challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ supporters and players, and how clubs can support inclusion for everyone regardless of faith, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender.

The March celebrations will be headlined by the annual Pride Cup double-header between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United at AAMI Park on March 29. Across the weekends, clubs will also celebrate Pride in their own way including engaging community groups, rainbow corner flags, rainbow armbands, while some clubs will play in special bespoke kits.

A-Leagues Executive Chair, Stephen Conroy, said: “We began this journey with Pride Cup and the PFA in 2021 as part of our ongoing commitment to make football accessible and inclusive for all.

“We are proud to be holding our third league-wide Pride Celebration grounded in player education and the ambition to make a long-term impact. We’ve taken strides forward in Australia and New Zealand to make football more inclusive for fans and players, and we look forward to continuing to play our part in 2025.

“Whether you are watching in the stands or playing on the pitch, we want everyone to feel welcome at the A-Leagues.”

PFA Player Representative and Adelaide United defender Ryan Kitto said: "Football is about bringing people together, and everyone should feel welcome in our game, that’s why Pride celebrations in the A-Leagues are so important. They send a message that football is for everyone, no matter who you are.

“I wear the Pride armband every week because I want to show that Adelaide United stands for inclusivity, respect, and equality, which is something we truly believe in as a club, and I’m proud to be part of that."

Western United midfielder Chloe Logarzo said: “The Pride Celebration is really important. I was here for the first round, and I’m excited to see it continue.

“Inclusivity within the community matters, and football provides a space where we can express ourselves freely. Having the ability to be our true selves is incredible - it makes me feel like the best version of myself.”

Pride Cup, Chief Executive Officer, Hayley Conway said: “LGBTIQ+ people exist in every culture in the world, so it’s only fitting that the world game continues to celebrate inclusion and pride. Through celebration and education, we are making inclusion a reality for everyone involved in football.”

Notes:

About A-Leagues:

The A-Leagues represent the pinnacle of professional football in Australia, comprising Isuzu UTE A-League Men's and Ninja A-League Women competitions. The 2024/25 season will see 13 clubs compete in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and 12 in the Ninja A-League Women.

The A-Leagues, operated by Australian Professional Leagues (APL), is delivering against its bold ambition to develop top-tier professional football talent in Australia, drive engagement across the leagues and to build on football’s undisputed position as the country’s most popular participation sport.

About Pride Cup:

Pride Cup works with sports codes at all levels to create inclusive environments and host iconic rainbow-themed game days, known as Pride Cups, PrideGames, and PrideRounds. Pride Cup has reached over 831 teams and 30+ different sports across Australia in its first five years. Any club can host a Pride Cup, just sign up at pridecup.org.au

About Professional Footballers Australia (PFA):

The PFA is the exclusive representative body and collective bargaining agent of Australia’s elite professional footballers, including the A-Leagues, Socceroos and Matildas players. The PFA was established in 1993 with two key objectives: to support the players and build the game within Australia. pfa.net.au

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