Liverpool FC has supported two local LGBT+ charities with a donation of £15,000 raised from sales of its popular Pride retail range.
The Michael Causer Foundation and The Young Person’s Advisory Service (YPAS) are the recipients of the donation, which will support their important work with the LGBT+ community across the Liverpool City Region.
The donation is made up of proceeds raised over a three-year period from sales of the club’s Pride range, which was launched in 2019 and includes a range of colourful items, from T-shirts and hoodies to flags and souvenirs.
Earlier this month, representatives from The Michael Causer Foundation and the YPAS joined LFC staff at a celebratory lunch at Anfield, where they were presented with a cheque by Reds legend John Aldridge and the club’s director of impact, Rishi Jain.
Steve Macfarlane, chair of The Michael Causer Foundation, said: “The club’s support is incredibly important on several fronts, from the point of a football club making a positive stand to support an LGBT+ charity is absolutely massive.
“And secondly, us being a relative small local charity means the support provided will help some of the running costs of our safe space for young people and the provision we provide to young LGBTQ+ people. I’d like to extend a big thank you to the club for their continued support, it means a lot to us.”
LFC’s ongoing support of Pride and the LGBT+ community is part of its Red Together campaign, which demonstrates the club’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Throughout July and August, the club and LFC Foundation are hosting a range of activities to celebrate Pride for its staff and fans to come together and express their allyship.
Chris Porter, wellbeing service co-ordinator at YPAS, said: “It’s great that LFC, which has a global reach and voice, has identified and chosen to support a service like ours. As a small charity, the donation will make a big impact locally to young people.
“We will use this donation to help fund our activities, for example our summer project, which we are currently delivering that includes trips to the zoo and other external events for our young people to enjoy. It’s important that our support and activities throughout the year are accessible to all and we remove as many barriers as possible.”
In July, more than 75 LFC staff and fan groups joined the city’s Pride in Liverpool march, marking 12 years of support after becoming the first Premier League club to participate in a Pride march, back in 2012.
Racheal Jones, chief executive of One Knowsley, which supports The Michael Causer Foundation, said: “The contributions from LFC help to support our wider engagement activities, which support so many people across Knowsley. Such as our first ever Pride event that took place at the weekend, which also included a small grants programme for local community organisations to access.”
Later this month, LFC Foundation will host its annual Pride tournament, which this year will welcome 18 teams to compete in three fun and competitive tournaments at the Academy in Kirkby.
Jain added: “We’re proud to support these incredible charities that make such a difference to young people’s lives across our communities. The impact of their work cannot be overestimated and it’s important for our fans to see where and how the donations made from their purchases of the LFC Retail Pride range are being used to make a positive difference.”
To find out more about Red Together, please visit www.liverpoolfc.com/redtogether.
