Updated June 18, 2026 — 11:21am,first published June 17, 2026 — 4:22pmA football club in Melbourne’s northern suburbs withdrew its support for a Pride celebration, leaving the club divided and the senior women’s team to hold its own unsanctioned event.Coburg Districts Football Club, in the Essendon District Football League, refused to endorse the Pride game despite granting the women’s team permission for the celebration at the start of the season, according to three sources not prepared to be named because of the sensitive nature of the issue.The AFL encourages local clubs to hold themed rounds, including pride matches.Getty ImagesAccording to the sources, the reason given to the women’s team changed multiple times, before the club eventually told them that the Pride event on June 13 clashed with the official unveiling of the club’s redeveloped facilities at Cole Reserve Oval in Pascoe Vale.“I think it’s narrow-minded considering it’s 2026,” said the women’s team’s senior coach Gavin Wray-McCann, who expressed disappointment at the decision.A post from Coburg Districts women’s Instagram page“This club has been fantastic and has put so much into their women’s program, they’re forward thinkers, so this has really thrown me.”Coburg Districts initially declined to comment.However, hours after publication on Wednesday, the club sent through a statement, saying they “endeavour to have a clear and consultative process when promoting club-endorsed themed rounds”.“The club recognises the important role that Pride Rounds play in ensuring LGBTQIA+ participants feel welcomed, and respected within our game,” the statement said. “The club is committed to working through said processes in future seasons with a Pride Round forming part of those discussions as we plan for the 2027 season.”A June 5 post from the women’s Instagram page, which is separate from the club’s, invited the community to celebrate their Pride game but was later deleted.“We are doing this for those that don’t feel comfortable being themselves who play football or any sport and they haven’t got a safe space to be themselves,” the post said.“For every LGBTQIA+ person who has ever pulled on a footy jumper and wondered if they truly belong.“You belong here. You have always belonged here. This team will continue showing up for you. Come down wear your rainbow and stand with us.”A caption at the bottom of the post said the event “was not officially endorsed by Coburg Districts Football Club”.Two days earlier the club had posted an invitation to the official opening of their new facilities, with speeches and a plaque unveiling to be held.The women’s team was told not to wear Pride uniforms or invite LGBTQIA+ groups to the June 13 match, according to the sources, but some players wore rainbow face paint and held a low-key event.Wray-McCann said the players, who declined to discuss the issue with this masthead, were hurt by the decision, but he wanted to emphasise their resilience.“We hadn’t trained over the last two weeks because we were in so many meetings to try and get an outcome, but we still played on Saturday,” he said.“I was really proud of them that they didn’t just throw the towel in.”Wray-McCann said the women’s team had always had a “club-first mentality” and worked well with the club and the men’s team.“During the first half of season we made a decision as a group that we would change our training nights so that the men’s team, the seniors, and the reserves, could have full use of the one oval that we had at the back [while the main oval was upgraded], to help them aim towards winning a flag,” he said.Coburg Districts won an AFL Victoria inclusion competition in 2019 recognising clubs that had made changes to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for women.Wray-McCann said Coburg Districts had “one of the best women’s programs” he’d worked in.“We want our women’s program to keep growing and I would hate for this situation to dissuade players from joining Coburg [Districts],” he said.When contacted for comment, an EDFL spokesperson said the league was committed to supporting “all affiliated clubs in providing inclusive environments for everyone involved in our game”.“We support the AFL and AFL Victoria inclusion programs and expect all affiliated clubs to uphold the league’s standards regarding diversity, inclusion, discrimination, and member welfare,” they said in a statement.“We work with clubs to foster cultures where all participants feel valued, respected, and able to participate in football free from discrimination or vilification.” An AFL Victoria spokesperson said the league was committed to ensuring football is a “safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone”.“Initiatives such as Pride rounds and games are an important part of demonstrating that everyone has a place in our game,” they said.Hayley Conway is the chief executive officer of Pride Cup, an organisation that helps sporting clubs of all levels with LGBTQ+ education, including helping clubs “navigate challenging conversations about how they bring inclusion to life”.When asked what footy clubs could do to ensure their environments are safe for LGBTQ+ athletes, Conway said clubs could “show they were a place of belonging”. She cited the importance of Pride games and celebrating them publicly, and of inviting organisations to speak to players and coaches about the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.“Most importantly, when issues arise for LGBTIQ+ people, they need to take those complaints seriously and handle them transparently to show their commitment is to year-round inclusion, not just one day.”News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.From our partners