The anti-discrimination ads will air at the Hawthorn vs Adelaide match tomorrow. The short film was created with a similar intention to the multicultural and indigenous rounds currently in operation at AFL.
“Young people who are gay are six times more likely to suffer from depression, self harm or contemplate suicide,” said Ball during an interview Melbourne radio station 3AW. “The football community, so far, has been part of the problem so I’m really glad that the AFL is going to be part of the solution.”
AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou told 3AW: “A pride game is one of the options we’re looking at. If we get behind something we genuinely believe in and if it’s something that we think we can help raise awareness and shift attitudes then we would support it,” he said.
“In my opinion and in my experience, Australians really want to do the right thing about this but the problem is it’s not talked about so they’re not sure of the right way to go about it,” explains Ball.
“From my experience gay slurs are a regular part of training, the fact that no AFL player has acknowledged gay sexuality goes to show there is a problem.”
Showing anti-homophobia ads in high-profile sports game will be a revolutionary step for sport. The ads, made by No to Homophobia, will be broadcasted on scoreboards before the games.
“Anybody can report dis-behaviour,” says the advert. “Do something about it.”
Picture: YouTube
