England to wear 'Football Unites the World' armbands at World Cup
Lionesses squad have made the decision to support numerous social causes during their World Cup campaign in Australia and New Zealand
FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: FIND OUT MORE
The Lionesses kick-off their campaign on Saturday with the first group stage game against Haiti in Brisbane, when the theme will be to ‘Unite for Inclusion’.
And following that, the support will switch to ‘Unite for Indigenous People’ for the second match against Denmark and then ‘Unite for Gender Equality’ in the final group game with China PR with the opportunity to support more causes beyond that should England reach the knockout stage.
“We wanted to go with FIFA’s proposal. As a group, we felt really strongly about all the causes, and we couldn’t separate one from the other,” said Bright, speaking on behalf of the squad who led this decision.
“We feel that they are all important and deserve recognition and our support.
“We’ve only just come to a decision recently, as we wanted to take time to process it all and to make sure we spoke collectively.
“As a team, we know what we stand for, what we believe in and we also know the changes that we want to make.
“So regardless of an armband, we would like to think our actions and our morals represent everything that we believe in and stand for.”
The England squad will have been in Australia for two weeks by the time they kick-off against Haiti and have been welcomed by the Traditional Custodians of the land on which they’ve been based in both Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.
What a welcome. ❤️
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 9, 2023
The #Lionesses were greeted to a special welcome ceremony today in front of 3,000 fans.
This included the traditional smoking ceremony led by the Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi people, an Aboriginal custom to welcome and wish good luck and ward off bad spirits. pic.twitter.com/rufgnk2FWn
And having learned more about more about the history of Indigenous People and their experiences, Bright says this is an important matter for the whole group.
“Supporting Indigenous People is massively important to us as a team, both staff and players,” she explained.
“We wanted to come to this country and respect the past, the present and the future.
“We are aware of the past, but we want to move forward collectively and make the world a better place. It is something that we always pride ourselves on.
“We have also been involved in a conversation yesterday and learning about Indigenous People and the culture.
Thank you to the community of Brisbane / Meanjin, including the Yuggara-Chepara Dancers, the traditional Aboriginal Women's Dance Group of Migunjin-Brisbane, who welcomed us last night! 👏 pic.twitter.com/HX2ZgECaOW
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 18, 2023
“We’ve been honoured with two ceremonies and to be able to have conversations and educate ourselves a little bit more on the Aboriginal People and everything which comes with the culture is amazing.
“I think we feel really honoured to have had the opportunity.”