Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers compete in Midlands Pride Cup Tournament

Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers compete in Midlands Pride Cup Tournament

Aston Villa Foundation and Wolverhampton Wanderers participated in a five-a-side mixed-gender, friendly competition in Villa Park’s Academy Building on Saturday.

Teams participating were Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, which competed for the Pride Cup trophy. Astom Villa was defined through members of the official LGBTQ+ Supporters Network, Villa & Proud, who did the club proud with their performance on the day.

Wolves finished as champions on the day, claiming the winners’ medals following a round-robin contest. The five-a-side mixed-gender competition saw Wolves beat West Bromwich Albion 4-2 and Aston Villa 4-0 in the group stages, losing out to Birmingham 2-1. But with the top two teams progressing to the final Wolves managed to turn the tables in a 20-minute goal-fest with a 6-5 victory.

“It was a great tournament to be involved in and very enjoyable.(…) “It is always nice for the clubs from across the Midlands to get together and play in a good and competitive spirit and obviously we were delighted to actually win.”(…)“More importantly it was a chance for all of us to highlight the importance of inclusion and the important role of Pride House during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.”

Matt Elcock,Wolves Foundation cohesion coach

The event was held in support of both Pride House Birmingham, which will celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport at the Commonwealth Games, and the Foundation’s Teamwork initiative, which focuses on mental and physical wellbeing, and their ‘Be You’ safe space sessions.

“LGBTQ+ people disproportionately suffer from mental health issues and sport is a great way of improving wellbeing, so It’s great to see these four rival clubs come together to support these important initiatives before our city hosts the Commonwealth Games.”

Neil Basterfield ,Pride House Birmingham Co-Founder and tournament organiser

While pride was at stake on the pitch, there was an abundance of off-field unity as the four teams helped to highlight the need for welcoming sports spaces that keep people active and connected to their communities. After the event players enjoyed a social evening at The Loft Bar and Kitchen in Birmingham’s Gay Village, which is also the location for Pride House Birmingham.