{"id":42541,"date":"2026-07-02T01:15:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T01:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/42541\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T01:15:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T01:15:07","slug":"sydney-swans-gear-up-for-fridays-2026-pride-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/42541\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Swans Gear Up For Friday’s 2026 Pride Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Friday night, the Sydney Swans will celebrate their 10th annual Pride Game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Celebrating the idea that \u2018everyone is welcome at the footy\u2019, this week\u2019s game is part of a now decade-long tradition. Decked out in their rainbow guernseys<\/a>, the Swans will take on the Western Bulldogs at the SCG. And at half time, there\u2019ll be a special performance from alt-pop duo, Cat & Calmell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the club welcomed fans, players, managers and more to kick off their pride activities with a special launch event. There, James Rowbottom, who plays as #8 for the Swans, spoke of the ongoing importance of Pride Game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s massive,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s our 10th year this year, and I really think it\u2019s quite minimal effort from a playing point of view to wear a rainbow jersey<\/a> and come to events like this and to see the impact that it can have on on the community. It\u2019d be remiss of us not to do things like this, so I think it\u2019s really important. We\u2019ll obviously continue to do it for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related content:<\/p>\n

The history of Pride Game<\/p>\n

Back in 2015, the Swans played their first Pride Game in a pre-season exhibition match against Fremantle at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney. The following year, they brought Pride Game to the main fixture, joining forces with St Kilda to play the inaugural in-season Pride Game<\/a> in round 21 of the 2016 season at Melbourne\u2019s Etihad (now Marvel) Stadium.<\/p>\n

Ever since, it\u2019s been a highlight on the Swans\u2019 calendar.<\/p>\n

Until this year, it\u2019s traditionally been held with St Kilda \u2014 but this year marks a change. In May, the Swans announced they were removing St Kilda from the Pride Game in the fallout of the Lance Collard Tribunal case<\/a> earlier in the year.<\/p>\n

Collard was found guilty of directing a homophobic slur towards an opponent and sentenced to a seven-game ban, making it his second offence of using a homophobic slur<\/a>. After St Kilda appealed<\/a>, the penalty was dropped to two weeks, with another two weeks suspended. The fallout continued when appeal board chair Will Houghton KC was sacked for commenting during Collard\u2019s final verdict that racist, sexist and homophobic language was \u201ccommonplace\u201d in AFL.<\/p>\n

As a result, the Swans announced they were cutting ties with St Kilda for the Pride Game<\/a>, and moved it to round 17 against the Western Bulldogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn consultation with the Rainbow Swans, members of the LGBTIQA+ community and the St Kilda Football Club, we felt it was appropriate to shift our 2026 Pride Match to ensure the game has the positive impact that is intended. It is important that the focus is on the positive experience we are creating for the communities at the heart of Pride Game,\u201d the Swans announced at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand with the LGBTIQA+ community and believe that sport has the power to bring people together and celebrate inclusivity. That\u2019s why Pride Game matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018This one\u2019s really special\u2019<\/p>\n

Heading into the 2026 Pride Game, Swans fans are as eager as ever. Sarina Jackson, chair of the Rainbow Swans \u2014 the official LGBTQIA+ supporter group of the Swans founded in 2003 \u2014 told the club that \u201cthis one\u2019s really special\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one feels really honest, and I can\u2019t wait. What a great club. Everybody\u2019s welcome. We know that, but it\u2019s true, we actually are,\u201d she said at the Pride Game launch event. \u201cWe\u2019ve got members of the Rainbow Swans, we\u2019ve got staff, we\u2019ve got sponsors, we\u2019ve got players, and everyone is here celebrating our community and the inclusivity \u2026 and that\u2019s just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shane Pascoe, a longtime Swans supporter who moonlights as his drag persona Joyce Maynge, is a fixture at Pride Games and in the Swans\u2019 Mardi Gras parade float.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been a supporter for a very long time, but now for having the Pride [Game], it\u2019s really, really special that they\u2019re going that extra distance,\u201d he told Sydney Swans Media ahead of Friday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

He also reflected on the trailblazers of sporting inclusion \u2014 the AFLW, who have held a league-wide Pride Round since 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say that queer women have been leading the way in AFLW<\/a> for such a long time,\u201d he said. \u201cI think more lessons need to be taken from the women, and you can see \u2014 has anything changed, has it hindered or made things worse? No, it hasn\u2019t. It\u2019s been completely fine. No-one bats an eye because they just move on and play fantastic football. So, boys, I think it\u2019s time to take a leaf. But again, that comes from structural change as well and making some decisions to say, you know what? Let\u2019s all get on board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pascoe hopes that Pride Round serves its purpose of showing all footy fans that there\u2019s a place for them in the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s any young person out there who wanted to know whether the footy was for them, I would say, look into the stands. I would say look onto the pitch,\u201d he said. \u201cI would say, make sure that you do not feel small. This is a massive stadium, and look at all these amazing rainbows<\/a> flying around, and all these smiling faces, and I can tell you now that there is a massive place for you at the Bloods family.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can buy tickets for Friday\u2019s Pride Game here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For the latest LGBTQIA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy\u00a0news,<\/a>\u00a0entertainment,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0community stories<\/a>\u00a0in Australia, visit\u00a0qnews.com.au<\/a>. Find us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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