please login to add to this item

Team Manchester travels to Rome

Sporting action in Italy

Thursday, 6 March 2008

Representatives from Northern Wave Swimming Club, Open Athletics and Pride Sports, Manchester based sports groups, flew off to Rome last weekend to take part in the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF) Annual Assembly. The EGLSF is the licensing body of the Eurogames, Europe’s largest annual LGBT multisport festival. The EGLSF also lobbies in Europe on issues such as homophobia in sport and women in LGBT sport.

Northern Wave and Open Athletics were able to attend the Assembly with support from Pride Sports who secured sponsorship for the trip from JET2, the low cost airline. During the weekend, Pride Sports also raffled off a couple of JET2 flights to this year’s Pride Games in support of the EGLSF Outreach Programme, which supports marginalised LGBT sports clubs and individuals across the EU. “We are committed to the development of LGBT sport in the UK, and in particular Manchester” says Pride Sports Director, Lou Englefield “If we can support Manchester groups to have an influence in the development of LGBT sport at a European level, we will do everything we can to help.”
Following the success of Pride Games, voted gay sports event of the year by the Pink Paper’s readers, Manchester is becoming a hub of LGBT sports activity. As Trevor Burchick, Co-Director of Pride Sports, the company behind Pride Games told us “This year 3 UK groups joined the EGLSF, two of these were from Manchester. Things here are moving incredibly quickly. The dates for Pride Games have been set for 7 – 14 September 2008, three new sports are to be included in the programme and we will be launching a new LGBT squash ladder later in the year. We are also hoping for good numbers from Manchester at the Eurogames in July”

www.pridegames.org