Marking its 25th year in Cardiff, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) were proud to once again join Pride Cymru in its celebrations of inclusion, music and culture.
Entering its second year as a sponsor of Pride Cymru, the FAW and staff collaborated with Welsh Ballroom Community to attend the Pride march and host a stall across the festival weekend. During the march over 40 members of FAW staff and their families, including Cymru Women’s National Team Manager Rhian Wilkinson came together to kick off the festivities with music, retro Cymru outfits and rainbow bucket hats.
Welsh Ballroom Community member, Supreme Milan, said: “It was a good collaboration because we were given the opportunity to make these fine outfits that you see here and also be able to represent this with our QPOCs and the Welsh Ballroom community around Wales and we would like to thank FA Wales for giving us this opportunity.”
The FAW aims to listen to and engage with underrepresented communities in football to hear their lived experiences in the game and to better understand the barriers and challenges they face.
Whilst on the stall this year the FAW aimed to further engage Pride attendees through a number of competitions and photo opportunities with Rhian Wilkinson and the Adran Premier trophy. This time further enabled the FAW to hold valuable, honest conversations about the community’s engagement in football and whether they see themselves a part of it.
FAW Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability Executive, Carys Ingram said: “Our standpoint is always inclusion. We believe that everyone belongs in this sport. We’re going to carry on creating policies, procedures, having these conversations at the Board level all the way through to the grassroots level to make sure everyone in this community feels they belong in this sport.”
It is important to recognise that Pride month is not only a celebration but continues to be a protest, the FAW will continue to work with its LGBTQ+ supporters, players and wider football family to make sure Welsh football is a place for all.
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