Club's managing director Ian Ayre said it underlined
their determination to rid football of homophobia
Liverpool FC will
become the first Premier League club to be officially represented
in a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) event in Britain
when a banner featuring its crest is carried by club staff and
members of the women's team at next month's Liverpool
Pride.
Ian Ayre, Liverpool's managing director, said the club's
involvement underlines its determination to rid football of
homophobia. "We continue to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring
that equality and principles of inclusion are embedded into all
areas of Liverpool Football Club and, for many years, we have taken
positive steps to promote our stance against homophobia both on and
off the pitch," he said.
"The event is … an excellent platform to attract local
communities and people from across the country to experience the
diverse culture of our fantastic city."
Liverpool FC will also have a stall at the festival's Waterfront
site on 4 August and will provide signed merchandise for
fund-raising auctions. The club has already worked with Liverpool
Pride in establishing the Football v Homophobia tournament, which
was hosted at the club's academy for the first time earlier this
year. The club also supports the Justin Campaign, which campaigns
against homophobia both at grassroots level and in the professional
game.
Liverpool Pride has offered other football clubs and their
supporters the opportunity to join the march, whether they are
professional or pub league outfits. Supporters not wishing to march
behind a Liverpool FC banner can register as a separate club and
bring their own banners.
Zoran Blackie, the chair of Liverpool Pride, said: "Liverpool
Football Club have been going through huge changes, and one of them
is to work closely with all their supporters – and they've showed
that before by hosting our Football v Homophobia tournament."
Liverpool Pride takes place at the city's Pier Head and
throughout the Stanley Street quarter. The festival's Nautical but
Nice theme this year, chosen in a ballot by the local LGBT, takes
its lead from Liverpool's commemoration of the 100-year anniversary
of the sinking of the Titanic, while also celebrating the city's
rich maritime history. More than 40,000 people were estimated to
have taken part in the 2011 event which is the country's biggest
free-of-charge gay pride festival outside London.
