And early support from players like Joey Barton – a colourful character in the world of football – gave countless other players the impetus to come out and publicly show their support for gay players and fans. The 'tongue in cheek' approach also lowered the barriers for people – players, fans, pundits - to engage with the message of tackling homophobia and not feel that it was a dull, politically correct lecture. It was clear that partnering with an organisation that was not a 'usual suspect' allowed us to communicate our message to an audience far beyond those who already supported equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The end result: Over a quarter of the entire UK adult population heard about the campaign. This was coupled with staggering engagement on social media, with over 320,000,000 Twitter impressions of #RBGF. Sporting heroes including Gary Lineker, Boris Becker, Claire Balding, Gareth Thomas and Matt LeTissier all threw their weight behind the campaign. The media devoured the story, with coverage appearing in tabloid and broadsheet newspapers alike as well as across regional and national TV.Įncouragingly broadcast pundits showed their support for the laces on Match of Day, BT Sports Football Show, and Soccer AM.
#Gay for fans paddy professional
Players from 52 different professional clubs – 40% of the total number of clubs in the UK – wore the rainbow laces.
![gay for fans paddy gay for fans paddy](https://i0.wp.com/24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6kb55WLgt1qadku2o1_1280.jpg)
Indeed the results were staggering, exceeding Stonewall's greatest hopes. This, coupled with Paddy Power's reputation for eye-catching, and yes, at times risqué campaigns would allow us to draw attention to the issue of homophobia in football. It was clear from the very start of the campaign that working with an organisation like Paddy Power would allow us to communicate directly with fans, players and clubs in a way we simply wouldn't have been able to had we worked alone.