Watford FC add Pride logo to team kit in ‘drive for inclusivity’

Watford FC has added its local Pride event’s logo to team’s shirts, in a bid to lead “football’s ongoing drive for equality, diversity and inclusion”. 

The club, nicknamed The Hornets because they play in black and yellow, added the Herts Pride logo as part of it sponsorship of the event, which will take place at Cassiobury Park on 19 August.

This year, Herts Pride will feature a sports zone hosted by Watford FC – who play in the Championship, England’s second tier – its community, sports and education trust and its LGBTQ supporters’ group, the Proud Hornets. 

The logo features a Pride-coloured deer with the text “Herts Pride 2023” under it. 

Dave Messenger, the club’s equality, diversity and inclusion lead, said the addition of the Pride logo aims to encourage better equality, diversity and inclusion in the sport.

“It’s a great pleasure to be partnering with Herts Pride along with our colleagues in the trust, we’re looking forward to celebrating our allyship of both the Proud Hornets and the local LGBTQ+ community at the event,” he went on. 

“We believe the use of a Pride logo on shirt sleeves is a first for English football and we’re thrilled to once again lead the way in football’s ongoing drive for equality, diversity and inclusion.”

Paul O’Brien, the club’s commercial director, said: “We’re pleased to be able to show our support to Herts Pride while we finalise details of a sleeve sponsor for the rest of the season. 

“We’re also delighted to be able to enhance the club’s commitment to our local LGBTQ+ community by sharing the Herts Pride logo.”

The club’s bid for inclusivity in the sport follows Leicester City defender Conor Coady lending his support to the Allies United initiative, which aims to create hundreds of “ally clubs” at grassroots level by the end of the year. 

Allies United was formed following data, commissioned by Just Eat, which found that 78 per cent of people from the LGBTQ+ community who were surveyed would not consider playing grassroots football.