Our ‘Trick Shot Challenge’ – which encourages players of all ages and abilities to film their best football skill and upload it onto social media – is to promote inclusion and awareness of the LGBT+ community and help make football the game for everyone.

Figures show:

• More than two in five LGBT+ people (43 per cent) think public sporting events are not a welcoming space for LGBT+ people (LGBT in Britain: Hate crime and discrimination, YouGov and Stonewall 2017)
• One in eight LGBT people (12 per cent) avoid going to the gym or participating in sports groups because of fear of discrimination and harassment (LGBT in Britain: Hate crime and discrimination, YouGov and Stonewall 2017)
• Two in five trans people (38 per cent) avoid these places compared to seven per cent of LGB people who aren’t trans (LGBT in Britain: Hate crime and discrimination, YouGov and Stonewall 2017)
• Cambridge University research for Stonewall found that one in seven LGBT pupils (14 per cent), including three in ten trans pupils (29 per cent) are bullied during sports lessons (Stonewall, School Report 2017)

Andrew Dickinson, Surrey FA’s acting Chief Executive Officer, said: “At Surrey FA, we are immensely proud of the work we are doing around inclusion and diversity. We were the first County FA to be awarded the Intermediate Level of the Equality Standard for Sport and are continually striving to improve opportunities for all to participate in football. We hope our campaign, in support of Rainbow Laces 2019, will capture the public’s imagination and help raise awareness of a hugely important issue, both in sport and the wider society.”

Stonewall’s annual Rainbow Laces campaign – which has inspired around 7 million people feel to more positive about LGBT inclusion in sport – is backed by The Football Association, the Premier League and the English Football League as well as other professional, semi-professional, amateur, grassroots and youth football clubs across the country.

HOW TO ENTER SURREY FA’S ‘TRICK SHOT CHALLENGE’ IN SUPPORT OF RAINBOW LACES:

STEP 1

Teams or individuals film their trick shot

STEP 2

Either…submit the trick shot on social media, via twitter (@surreyfa) or Instagram (@surreycountyfa), not forgetting to use the hashtags #surreyfa #trickshotchallenge #rainbowlaces

Or…send the trick shot directly to Surrey FA via info@surreyfa.com.