On April 24, Rainbow Swans chair Sarina Jackson released a statement condemning the verdict, and requested a meeting with the AFL and St Kilda to discuss the planned pride game on June 7.
“As a participating club in the AFL’s pride game, St Kilda Football Club has publicly positioned itself as a supporter of LGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport. That visibility carries responsibility,” she said.
A day later the AFL removed appeals board chairman Houghton.
Rainbow Swans vice chairman Paul Bisby, speaking to this masthead on Thursday about the Swans’ decision to seek a different pride game opponent, said the group had strongly felt St Kilda’s involvement would be a distraction – a decision they say the Swans supported.
“The position we came to was that this is just too distracting and [would] take away from the purpose of the pride game, which is obviously to promote diversity and inclusivity and be a real celebration,” he said.
He said Sydney re-kindling their partnership with St Kilda in the future “would be amazing” and noted the Saints’ history of inclusion.
“I think any club that would want to step up, we would embrace,” he said.
“But I think clubs need to know just stepping up for that one day is not showing your commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community, you need, as a club, to do more than that.
“I think that’s where the Swans have excelled. They don’t just live this on one day of one game. They live it all year, and I think that’s what all clubs should be aspiring to.”
Bisby said the Rainbow Swans had been around for 20 years and originally started out as an email chat group. The Swans officially recognised the group in 2015, and Bisby said they had formed a strong partnership with Sydney ever since.
Bisby said he would love there to be a day when a pride game or round is no longer needed.
“We’re sadly not there yet, and incidents like this may indicate to us we have more work to do,” he said.
St Kilda pioneered the pride game concept in men’s AFL, with the inaugural match against Sydney in 2016. The Swans wore rainbow socks at Etihad Stadium, while their Saints counterparts wore rainbow-numbered jerseys.
St Kilda continued to take part in annual AFL pride games. They last hosted it in 2024 at Marvel Stadium, but last year the Swans announced they would face Essendon in the pride match.
At the time, Sydney CEO Tom Harley said the change in opponent reflected a desire to ensure the game remained a consistent and significant fixture in Sydney.
“Given the importance of this game, we want to make the pride game an annual event in Sydney. While we had alternated hosting the game with St Kilda since its inception, we haven’t had a home game against the Saints since 2023, which drove the decision to explore another opponent,” he said.
In a letter to members on Wednesday, St Kilda confirmed Sydney’s altered plans and chief executive Carl Dilena said they had wanted to stay involved.
Dilena was adamant the Saints “remain deeply committed to LGBTQIA+ and First Nations inclusion in sport at every level”.
“While we would have preferred to proceed with the pride game designation to support inclusion and education, we understand and support the decision given the impact the recent publicity has had on members of the LGBTQIA+ and First Nations communities,” Dilena wrote.
St Kilda currently do not have an official pride support group in 2026, but have strong connections with Pride Cup – an organisation dedicated to improving inclusivity in sport.
A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the club would love to have an official pride support group and would welcome involvement from the community.
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
