On Saturday 12 October 2019, the 11th annual Pride Football Australia (PFA) Tournament will be held from 10:00am to 5:00pm at Kevin Bartlett Reserve in Melbourne.
The PFA Tournament brings together interstate football clubs, players and their friends and supporters to share a love for football, in the spirit of competition, inclusion and diversity.
Interstate Cups
The morning of the PFA Tournament features a friendly social competition as a precursor to the two interstate cups in the afternoon:
the Julie Murray Cup, between the Melbourne Rovers Soccer Club and The Flying Bats Women’s Football Club; and
the Justin Fashanu Cup, between the Melbourne Rovers Soccer Club and the Sydney Rangers Football Club.
In 2018, The Flying Bats Women’s Football Club and the Sydney Rangers Football Club won the Julie Murray Cup and Justin Fashanu Cup, respectively.
This year, the Melbourne Rovers Soccer Club will seek to regain each cup on home turf.
Each year, the Pride Football Australia Tournament brings together three diverse sporting clubs to celebrate and support the LGBTQIA+ community in sport. The tournament has been running for over a decade and provides us with a platform to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and promote acceptance and inclusion in sport. – James Cardall, President
Social Competition
Anyone is welcome to form a small-side mixed team (maximum 10 players) and register to play on game day! The social competition kicks off from 10:00am.
Community
The PFA Tournament is supported by individuals and organisations who share our passion for discrimination free, inclusive sport, including Football Federation Australia, Football Victoria, Pride in Sport and Proud 2 Play.
PFA is excited that game day will feature representatives from various local and interstate LGBTQIA+ community organisations.
As a non-profit organisation, working with like-minded organisations is key to our growth and impact in the community. Support from professional sporting organisations such as Football Federation Australia and Football Victoria allows us to embrace and promote an accepting and inclusive footballing community and for that we are truly grateful. – James Cardall, President
Entry is free for the whole day and anyone is welcome to watch the action and learn more from LGBTQIA+ community organisations from 10:00am on Saturday 12 October.
For more information and updates, visit the Events page and PFA Facebook page.
Comments from PFA Supporters
At FFA we believe it is the right of every player, coach, volunteer and fan to feel accepted, on and off the sporting field regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, cultural background or ethnicity. We are proud to support the annual Pride Football Tournament and look forward to working together to create better outcomes for LGBTI+ participants by ensuring football is inclusive, safe and supportive for all. – David Gallop, Chief Executive, Football Federation Australia
Football Victoria is a proud supporter of Pride Football Australia and the upcoming PFA Tournament. We strongly believe in spreading a positive message of acceptance, diversity and inclusion. We are committed to ensuring that football is for all, anywhere, anytime and is a safe and inclusive game. We thank Pride Football Australia for the opportunity to bring people together with this common goal. – Peter Filopoulos, CEO, Football Victoria
We are excited to be a supporter of the 2019 Pride Football Australia Tournament, which always brings together interstate football clubs, players and their friends and supporters to share their love for football, in the spirit of competition, inclusion and diversity.
Pride in Sport is a national LGBTQ inclusion program that supports sporting codes, clubs and organisations, and the Pride Football tournament provides us with an important opportunity to shine the light on LGBTQ inclusion in Australian sport.
Through our long-standing work with a wide range of organisations and clubs to make sport a place that is welcoming of all sexuality and gender diverse people, we are so heartened when events like this tournament go ahead and receive immense community and professional support. We congratulate Pride Football Australia on providing opportunities like this tournament to demonstrate that sexuality, gender identity and experience does not impact on anyone’s ability to play, watch or be involved with sport at any level.
We look forward to continuing our work with other Football organisations to make Australian sport inclusive for everyone. – Beau Newell, National Program Manager, Pride in Sport
We know the research shows that there is a lack of LGBTI+ visibility in sport, which is why events like this are so important. It shows LGBTI+ people that they can experience football in a positive way where they can be their true and authentic selves. Great work by Pride Football Australia to make this happen.
Proud 2 Play have worked with the sport of football for a long time now through our long-standing partnership with Football Victoria to make football a sport that is welcoming of LGBTI+ people and it is great to see events like this come to fruition.
It is fantastic to see the peak bodies, Football Federation Australia and Football Victoria, getting behind this event and really giving it the platform it needs to have the biggest impact possible. – Luke Major, Partnerships Manager, Proud 2 Play
Comments