Equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives at Leeds United Foundation

This blog features the Leeds United Foundation and the work the ‘wish 4 in action’ work that they are doing to celebrate differences and diversity in Leeds, and to help young people feel accepted for who they are.

World Hijab Day

The Leeds United Foundation recently hosted a special football festival event with children from the local community invited to participate and celebrate World Hijab Day. The exclusive football festival was held on Friday 21st February by the club’s official charity, with over 50 youngsters taking part along with lots of parents and family friends also in attendance.

The annual awareness event is held in February and aims to educate and raise awareness around the hijab and help promote religious tolerance and understanding. The hijab is worn by approximately 800 million women across the globe, and World Hijab Day gives them a chance to promote the right of religious expression and explain that it is not just a piece of fabric but a symbol of their way of life.

Alongside the fun footballing activities and mini tournaments, several educational workshops were also delivered, with the opportunity to explain what the hijab is and the importance of empowerment, being an ally and supporting others who may follow different religious practices or come from a different background.

It is important that children from different communities come together to understand different cultures and religious practices. The understanding allows for communities to get along, and football is a great tool for this. We appreciate all the work the Foundation does for us. – Community leader

It has been a fantastic day for the children, and they have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the football but also the fun workshops that were hosted with the coaches from the Leeds United Foundation. A big thank you to those who put the festival on for all of us. – Parent

LGBTQ+ History Month

The Leeds United Foundation recently celebrated LGBTQ+ History Month with the help of their partnering schools across the city.

LGBTQ+ History Month is an annual celebration that takes place throughout February and celebrates the lives of LGBTQ+ people, both current and past, with a unique theme given to the awareness event every year.

The club’s official charity wanted to show their support for the campaign, asking partner schools to take part in a competition with young pupils designing their own posters about the importance of diversity, inclusion and equality.

The winner of the competition was chosen at the end of the month, with Eveyln from Five Lanes Primary School creating a fantastic poster that showcased her views around being an ally and supporting others. The prize for the competition was a signed EFL Rainbow Ball, which was used for matches during the month in the Sky Bet Championship, and it was presented by Lucas the Kop Cat.

It is great that we can work together and educate our students on different types of communities and the history of these, and even more amazing that Leeds United can support these positive messages and help keep the students engaged. – Teacher

Internet Safety Day

The Leeds United Foundation recently invited both Primary and Secondary schools from the local community to take part in an Internet Safety Day at Elland Road.

Safer Internet Day is an annual awareness event that takes place every February (Tuesday 11th February 2025) and offers a chance to focus on the online safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

The students in attendance were able to learn about how to look for signs of a scam online and how to stay safe while using the internet. They also took part in an activity where they had to be a ‘profile detective’ to see how easy it is to get information about someone online.

The afternoon at Elland Road ended on a high with the students having a tour around stadium, whilst also having the opportunity to meet the Leeds United mascot, Lucas the Kop Cat.

We have had a great day at Elland Road and the students have taken away some valuable information on staying safe on the internet. The tour around Elland Road was amazing and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our pupils. – Teacher