AFL Barwon's Pride Round: Celebrating Inclusivity and Unity in the Barwon Region

The AFL Barwon's Pride Round is just around the corner, bringing vibrant rainbow colours and a powerful message of inclusivity to community grounds throughout the Barwon region. This significant event in the AFL Barwon calendar is dedicated to honouring and recognising the contributions of the LGBTIQA+ community within sporting leagues. AFL Barwon met with players from various clubs that will be donning pride-themed uniforms this weekend.

Geelong Amateurs female football player, Lucy Were, expresses her excitement for the Pride Round as an opportunity for the club to demonstrate their support and foster a culture of inclusivity. She believes that this celebration is a stepping stone towards achieving Geelong Amateurs’ goal of a united and welcoming environment. She states, "It's an awesome opportunity to show support and work towards the club culture that we strive for, and this is just a small snippet of achieving that." The design process of the Geelong Amateurs Pride jumpers aimed to encompass inclusivity by incorporating pride in a progressive way. Were explains that they took a comprehensive approach to inclusion, including the representative transgender colours on the side to ensure that all aspects of equality were represented.

Jessie Morrow, a leader of the playing group at Drysdale Football Netball Club, also highlights the significance of the Pride Round. She emphasises that the round celebrates individual differences and unites everyone in supporting a worthy cause. Morrow says, "Pride Round is knowing that it doesn't matter who or what we are as a club, we are all there for the same purpose. It is just about being able to be who you are."

Similarly, Hannah Collins, a netballer from the Geelong West Giants, emphasizes their club's commitment to inclusivity. She believes that although they have always strived for inclusivity among players, families, and supporters, highlighting inclusivity in a themed round is a significant step towards making everyone feel important and fostering a true sense of community within clubs and the wider league.

Lauren French, a female football representative of Grovedale Tigers, recognises the significance of female matches taking place after the senior men's games during the Pride Round. She acknowledges the positive atmosphere that comes with a larger crowd and expresses that many girls appreciate the inclusiveness of such an arrangement. French believes it is important for the club since it is not common for all teams to play on the same day, and she finds it wonderful to bring everyone together.

Edward Wilson, AFL Barwon's Regional Manager, expresses immense satisfaction in leading the Pride Round across the Barwon Region’s football and netball leagues. Wilson states, "AFL Barwon is proud to lead the Pride Round across all regional community football and netball competitions and leagues, in 2023. We're incredibly proud of everyone who makes up our local community and strive to provide support and integrated equitable opportunities for all. Pride Round supports this vision significantly, and we're proud to work with Clubs, partners, and stakeholders locally, who support our diversity and inclusion values and objectives."

The annual AFL Barwon Pride Round is a testament to the league's commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. Refer to league fixtures for more information on playing times over the weekend.