For its upcoming home games, Reading will replace the traditionally white nets with rainbow-coloured ones, while its official partner, online casino company Casumo, will change its normal logo to a red heart.
Fans first got a glimpse of the new goals last season during its match against Nottingham Forest, and were brought back for the club’s latest home game against Hull City on 4 December. They can be next seen when Reading FC Women take on Chelsea on 11 December.
This is all being done in support of Rainbow Laces, an initiative pioneered by British LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall that aims to improve inclusivity in sport.
Veljko Paunović, Reading’s Manager, commented: “Football is a game — more than a game to so many: a way of life! And the spirit of football transcends the barriers that so often separate us. Instead, the sport we all live and breathe embraces differences in people and brings us all closer together as one community.
“As a sport, it is here for everyone to enjoy, inclusive in its very nature. And it has to continue to be open and accessible to all.”
Casumo Group’s Sports Marketing Communications Specialist Mark Strijbosch expressed a similar sentiment, saying: “We are delighted to support the Stonewall Rainbow Laces initiative for a second year and proud to be part of the continued drive to increase awareness around the topic of inclusion in football.”
