Thursday, 9 March 2023

Pride Cup

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:49): I recently had the privilege of attending the very first Pride match in the A-leagues when Melbourne Victory took on Adelaide United in a men’s and women’s double-header at AAMI Park. Having been a supporter of the A-leagues and a diehard fan of Melbourne Victory since the inaugural season, I know that regrettably football is one area of society where you can still readily witness homophobia, which is why it is especially important for the A-leagues to embrace the Pride round, as they have. The games themselves were hard fought, with both the men’s and women’s teams drawing level in their fixtures. There was a Pride Cup celebration on and off the field, with the Victory Pride village providing live entertainment, giveaways and a festive atmosphere. Pride Cup works with all levels of sport to break down barriers and make sport safe, welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQIA+ people through education and events. It was great to enjoy the event with my colleagues Minister Steve Dimopoulos and Minister Natalie Suleyman, and I would like to commend Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro and CEO Caroline Carnegie for ensuring that the A-leagues’ very first Pride match was such a resounding success.