Battling A-Leagues will again stage a Pride Celebration in March but seething fans are not celebrating: ‘Why don’t you just focus on football?’

Scores of football fans across Australia are fuming following the A-Leagues’ announcement that Pride Celebration will be reintroduced this season.

In a bid to celebrate inclusivity, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) have set aside March 8 to 10 in Australia and March 30 in New Zealand as dates for supporters to embrace sexual diversity.

It follows the A-Leagues becoming the first league in the world to host simultaneous men’s and women’s Pride Celebrations in 2023.

A-Leagues commissioner Nick Garcia felt the Pride Celebration was another example of how “welcoming and inclusive football is as a sport for everyone in Australia and New Zealand.”

Central Coast Mariners skipper Taren King was on the same page and can’t wait for the round to be celebrated in a big way.

Central Coast Mariners skipper Taren King can’t wait for the round to be widely celebrated

In 2021, Adelaide United defender Josh Cavallo confirmed he was gay as he was tired of ‘living a double life’

‘I’m really looking forward to the Pride round this season. Last year we saw a number of clubs make a big effort to show their support for the LGBTQI+ community and I look forward to seeing more clubs embrace the initiative this season,” she said.

“I think it’s so important that both clubs and players use their platforms to show our fans that everyone has a place in our game and that all individuals are accepted for who they are.”

However, the reaction from supporters on social media was very different. They wanted action to be taken to resolve declining visitor numbers and alarming declines in revenue.

One posted on

A third fan said: ‘Our great match in Australia is a complete mess and this (a brain fart of an idea) won’t help.

‘You have to try to win fans and not lose them.’

2GB radio host Chris O’Keefe on Friday slammed the Australian Football Association for its mismanagement of funds in recent years.

‘How did the A-Leagues waste $140 million in less than three years?’ he asked.

It comes after Fairfax’s recent report revealed that almost half of the workforce behind the A-Leagues will be made redundant, while the A-Leagues’ media division KEEPUP has collapsed and will close on March 1.

Adelaide United – featuring openly gay star Josh Cavello – and Melbourne Victory will headline the A-Leagues Pride Celebration on March 9.

Coopers Stadium will host the annual Pride Cup, with the women’s match (5pm) part of a double header ahead of the men’s match at 7.45pm.