Why Watch With Pride?

Tickets to the Matildas games have already sold out, with the three group games being played across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. FIFA Fan Festival sites are popping up across Australia and New Zealand but with regional locations largely missing out. There is a pressing need for coordinated effort to bring this moment to life for those who are too far away to get to a game or have been unable to secure tickets.

Watch With Pride will bring the game-night vibe into homes and one-off pop up locations across Australia with a Pride spin. By attending a Watch With Pride event, or hosting a private watch party at home, anyone can get behind Australia’s favourite team and celebrate inclusion of LGBTIQ people in sports.

Whether you are new to football or a lifelong fan, this is an incredible moment to celebrate women’s sport in Australia and the enormous contribution that the LGBTIQ+ community has made to its success.

Who can host a watch party?

Everyone is welcome at a Watch With Pride event, drawing in spectators who want to watch the Matildas play their opening match in a euphorically queer atmosphere. It will be family-friendly and accessible, with First Nations’ performances, and celebrating the global reach of football.

Over 3 million Australians are LGBTIQ+ but spectator sport has long excluded them. 75% of people surveyed recently stated that they don’t believe an openly gay person would be safe at a sporting event and 80% had personally experienced or witnessed homophobia in sport.

Sport is for everyone. Be a part of creating the biggest euphorically queer spaces ever seen in professional sport – and experience the drama and excitement of the world’s biggest game.

How do I host?

1. Host a watch party at home, at your sports club, or a local venue, sign ups through Pride Cup. Early sign-ups will be sent a Watch With Pride gift pack and everyone will be sent a party guide.
2. Attend a party or promote the DIY watch parties through clubs and leagues. There might even be a livestream of the performances…
3. Sponsor the event, contact Pride Cup for sponsorship opportunities.

Pride Cup works with all levels of sport to build a world where every LGBTI+ person feels included, accepted and proud to be who they are.

Sport is at the heart of Australian culture, but participation levels within the LGBTI+ community are extremely low. Pride Cup is challenging homophobia and transphobia within sporting clubs — making them more welcoming for LGBTIQ+ fans, players and officials.

By connecting with community clubs of all codes to help them run their own Pride Cup matches and attend our education sessions, we are empowering them to become leaders for inclusivity and diversity in their communities.

Pride Cup has grown exponentially since the first game out in Yarra Glen – with over 515 clubs involved in a Pride Cup event across a wide array of sporting codes – from footy, to hockey, roller derby to lawn bowls, netball, water polo and beyond.

Pride Cup events are joyous, celebratory statements of love and acceptance for LGBTI+ players, spectators and members of the local community that have an immediate and direct impact.

The impact Pride Cup has is significant – reducing homophobic language in sporting clubs by up to 40% when a Pride Cup event and education session is held. These impacts ripple out into the wider community, making entire communities safer and more inclusive for it’s LGBTI+ members.

But A lot of work still has to be done to make sport safe and inclusive for everyone – only 51% of participants interviewed strongly disagreed that homosexuality is wrong or unnatural.

Pride Cup is a movement for change that transcends sport.