Sydney Moves Pride Game From St Kilda After Lance Collard Case
Sydney has moved its annual Pride Game away from St Kilda after the lance collard Tribunal case, and the round 13 meeting at the SCG on Sunday June 7 will no longer carry the banner. The Swans will instead make their round 17 clash against the Western Bulldogs their designated Pride Game this season.
Sydney Swans and St Kilda
The change ends a match-up that had been scheduled as the club’s Pride Game and shifts the annual LGBTIQA+ showcase to a different opponent and round. Sydney said it has hosted Pride Game at the SCG since 2016, and the club framed the switch around the experience it wants to create for the communities at the heart of the event.
“Since 2016, the Sydney Swans have been proud to host Pride Game at the SCG, celebrating inclusivity with our LGBTIQA+ community” the club said in a statement. It also said: “It is one of the most significant matches on our calendar and resonates deeply with our LGBTIQA+ supporter base and the wider Pride community.”
Lance Collard Tribunal case
The move follows the fallout from the Tribunal case involving Collard, who was found guilty of using a homophobic slur towards an opponent. Collard and the Saints strongly deny the charge, but the case has shaped how the club has handled the match designation.
St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena said the club had discussions with Sydney Swans, the Rainbow Swans supporter group, Pride Cup and the AFL before the decision was made. In his letter to members on Wednesday night, he wrote: “Following the extensive media coverage of the recent AFL Tribunal matter and associated public reaction, our club has been in discussions with Sydney Swans, the Rainbow Swans supporter group, Pride Cup, and the AFL. I want to thank everyone involved for the respectful and constructive way those discussions have been approached,”
Western Bulldogs in round 17
Collard’s case has already carried a tribunal penalty path that included a six-match ban in 2024 and later AFL scrutiny this year. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said the eventual four-game sanction, with two games suspended until the end of 2027, was “not only was warranted – it was necessary,” while also rejecting the Appeals Board reasoning that “it is commonplace that players can employ language from time to time which is racist, sexist or homophobic whilst on the field.”
For Sydney, the practical change is straightforward: the St Kilda game on Sunday June 7 will go ahead without the Pride Game label, and the Western Bulldogs match in round 17 now carries that distinction. For St Kilda, Dilena said the club understands and supports Sydney’s decision, ending the Pride Game link between the clubs for this season.
