SuperValu has teamed up with GAA Referee and LGBTQ+ advocate David Gough and Cork Ladies footballer Hannah Looney to launch SuperValu’s ‘Wear with Pride’ Laces campaign for Pride Month 2023.

As part of the initiative, rainbow laces will be available to purchase in SuperValu stores nationwide for the month of June, with proceeds going to support Belong To, LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland.

Earlier this year, SuperValu launched the third year of their #CommunityIncludesEveryone campaign, as part of their sponsorship of the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, with a host of Gaelic Games role models from across the country rallying together to promote the importance of diversity and inclusion in Gaelic games, including David Clifford, Padraig O’Hora, Maggie Farrelly and Ikem Ugwueru.

With the launch of this new campaign, SuperValu and its team of ambassadors hope to encourage Ireland’s Gaelic Games community to wear their rainbow laces with pride and show their support for the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland.

With the support of the Gaelic Players Association, the ‘Wear with Pride’ Laces campaign will also see all inter-county players gifted with SuperValu’s rainbow laces throughout the month of June.

SuperValu’s pride laces are Irish-made by Atlantic Weave Limited, a Donegal-based company.

“It is with great pride that I team up with SuperValu again for 2023’s Pride Month,” said David Gough.

“Within Gaelic Games, we know that while positive strides have been made, there is still much to do to ensure everyone is included within our communities.”

“A campaign like ‘Wear with Pride’ goes a long way to offering visible support to members of the LGBTQ+ community within Gaelic Games and across the country. I would encourage everyone to lace up this Pride month and show their support.”

“As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I know just how impactful people’s support can be,” added Hannah Looney.

“My teammates and I are looking forward to showing our support for the LGBTQ+ community in Gaelic Games and encourage everyone to get involved this Pride month.”

“At the Gaelic Players’ Association, we are thrilled to offer our support to SuperValu’s ‘Wear with Pride’ Laces campaign, this June,” said Gemma Begley, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the GPA.

“For the first time ever, inter-county players up and down the country will be gifted with SuperValu’s rainbow laces via a player representative in their squad.”

“We hope that this activity will help promote the ideals of #CommunityIncludesEveryone and that members of the LGBTQ+ community in Gaelic Games will feel our support for them at a widespread level.”

“Pride is about inclusivity, self-acceptance and community – just like sports,” concluded Moninne Griffith, CEO of the Belong To Charity.

“Research tells us that many LGBTQ+ young people can feel excluded from sports and there is still work to do to ensure that sport is inclusive to everyone.”

“We are proud to join Supervalu for ‘Wear with Pride’ and be part of this campaign to bring visibility and LGBTQ+ inclusion on and off the pitch. By wearing rainbow laces, you can send a strong message to the LGBTQ+ community, saying ‘you are welcome here’.”

Sport for Business Perspective:

The campaign is being backed up with in-store, digital, and radio advertising to amplify the message of inclusivity.

It would be great if some inter-county teams in high-profile TV games picked up the baton and wore the laces to expand the conversation further.

The Cork women are an obvious starting point with SuperValu as their sponsors but it could go further, perhaps with the encouragement of the GPA.

Allyship is a huge part of where we need to get to when it comes to inclusion and what a great statement that would be.