Opencast are playing in the Business Fives 5-a-side tournament on 16th February and have decided to take the opportunity to raise money for Stonewall.

Stonewall run the rainbow laces campaign to visibly show support to LGBTQ+ people in sport.

Sport and fitness is an important part of so many of our lives – it has the power to bring people together, and to improve our mental and physical health. But too many LGBTQ+ people still feel confronted with a choice between loving their sport and being their true selves.

• Across Europe, 82% of LGBTQ+ people who take part in sport have experienced or witnessed homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in the past 12 months (Out in Sport, 2019).

• More than 43% of LGBTQ+ people think public sporting events aren’t a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ people. (YouGov for Stonewall, 2017).

• 33% of LGBTQ+ people who participate in or follow sport aren’t out to anyone in their sporting life (Out in Sport, 2019). Their research indicates that fear of rejection and bullying are two key factors keeping athletes ‘in the closet’.