What Happened to Rainbow Laces in the Premier League

Football supporters may have noticed something missing from Premier League matches this season. The rainbow captain's armbands that became a familiar symbol of LGBTQ+ inclusion have disappeared from the league's official campaigns, following a decision to move away from Stonewall's Rainbow Laces initiative.

The Premier League ended its partnership with the LGBTQ+ charity in 2025 before launching its own programme, Premier League With Pride, on 5 February 2026. The new initiative promises year-round support for LGBTQ+ players and supporters, with a greater focus on education, tackling discrimination and helping people feel welcome in football.

However, the decision has raised questions about why such a recognisable symbol was removed and what the replacement campaign actually offers.

Why did the Premier League stop using rainbow armbands?

Rainbow Laces became one of football's most recognisable LGBTQ+ campaigns, encouraging players to wear rainbow-coloured bootlaces and captains to wear rainbow armbands during designated matches.

The Premier League began working with Stonewall in 2014, before announcing a formal partnership in 2017. Over the following years, rainbow-themed campaigns became a regular feature of the football calendar, helping to raise awareness of homophobia and discrimination in the sport.

However, in August 2025, it emerged that the Premier League would no longer participate in Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign.

The decision followed several high-profile incidents involving players who chose not to participate in rainbow-themed activities.

In December 2024, Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy declined to wear a rainbow armband, with the club citing his religious beliefs. Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi also attracted attention after writing religious messages on his rainbow armband.

Manchester United faced similar headlines when plans for players to wear an LGBTQ+ supportive pre-match jacket were abandoned after defender Noussair Mazraoui declined to participate.

Although these incidents prompted debate about LGBTQ+ visibility in football, the Premier League has not stated that they were responsible for its decision to introduce a different campaign.

Importantly, rainbow laces have not been banned. Players can still choose to wear them, but captains agreed with the Premier League before the 2025/26 season to use the standard captain's armband for all league matches.

What replaced Rainbow Laces?

The Premier League officially launched With Pride on 5 February 2026, introducing a programme developed following discussions with clubs, LGBTQ+ supporters' groups and other organisations.

The first dedicated campaign took place across Premier League fixtures between 6 and 12 February, coinciding with LGBTQ+ History Month.

Instead of rainbow captain's armbands, the league introduced With Pride branding around stadiums, including handshake boards, ball plinths, substitution boards, pitchside advertising displays and badges.

All 20 Premier League clubs are involved, with the programme designed to continue beyond the dedicated campaign fixtures.

The league says With Pride is built around three areas: education, celebration and action. Its aim is to make LGBTQ+ inclusion part of football throughout the year rather than concentrating attention on a short period of matches.

What is the Premier League doing for LGBTQ+ supporters?

One of the biggest differences is the emphasis on education, particularly among young footballers.

The Premier League has introduced updated LGBTQ+ learning resources through its Primary Stars, Kicks and Inspires community programmes, alongside education for academy players.

These sessions cover respect, inclusive language and understanding the experiences of LGBTQ+ people, with the aim of challenging discrimination before harmful attitudes become established.

The programme also supports LGBTQ+ supporters' groups, which provide communities for people who may otherwise feel excluded from football.

Another part of With Pride is a collaboration with Switchboard, the national LGBTQ+ listening service. The organisation offers free, confidential support to supporters, players, staff and anyone who needs someone to speak to.

The Premier League has also highlighted its procedures for reporting homophobic, biphobic and transphobic abuse, including incidents at stadiums and discriminatory comments posted online.

Supporters who experience or witness abuse at matches are encouraged to report it to stewards, police officers or through their club's confidential reporting service.

Has Rainbow Laces disappeared completely?

Although the Premier League has moved away from the campaign, Stonewall continues to run Rainbow Laces independently.

In January 2026, the charity relaunched the initiative under the banner Move With Pride, encouraging people across sport, exercise and other physical activities to demonstrate their support for LGBTQ+ participation.

The campaign continues to encourage people to wear rainbow laces as a visible sign that LGBTQ+ people are welcome.

Stonewall also highlighted research examining discrimination experienced by LGBTQ+ people during exercise, demonstrating why inclusion remains an important issue beyond professional football.

The original Rainbow Laces campaign therefore continues, even though it is no longer the Premier League's official approach.

Has the Premier League taken a step backwards?

The disappearance of rainbow captain's armbands represents a noticeable change in how the Premier League publicly demonstrates its commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

For years, the armbands provided a visible message during televised fixtures, reaching audiences who might not otherwise engage with conversations about discrimination in football.

There is a reasonable argument that removing such recognisable symbols risks making LGBTQ+ inclusion less visible, particularly when those symbols had become familiar across the sport.

However, the Premier League's new approach also recognises that supporting LGBTQ+ people requires more than asking footballers to wear particular colours.

Education, meaningful support for LGBTQ+ supporters' groups and effective action against discrimination could make a lasting difference if clubs consistently deliver on those commitments.

The real measure of With Pride will be whether LGBTQ+ supporters feel safe and welcome attending matches, whether players are comfortable being themselves and whether clubs respond properly when discrimination occurs.

Rainbow armbands may no longer be part of the Premier League's official campaign, but the responsibility to make football inclusive has not disappeared with them.