Elsternwick celebrates Pride Round with a conversation about inclusion in sport

Elsternwick Amateur Football Club recently celebrated Pride Round with a visit from former AFL player Mitch Brown, whose reflections on coming out and belonging highlighted the ongoing challenges facing LGBTQIA+ people in sport.

Brown, a 94‑game West Coast Eagles player who last year became the first openly bisexual footballer in the men’s competition, trained with all four Wicks teams before speaking about navigating elite football while closeted and why visible inclusion in community sport matters.

“I wish I were part of a Pride Round with the Eagles,” he told players. “Even though I was still closeted, it still would have meant the world to me.”

Brown said Pride Rounds can have a profound impact on athletes who may not yet feel safe to be open about their identity.

“That’s why rounds like these, that you’re all participating in, really matter,” he said.

“What you’re doing is thinking beyond yourself, thinking about others […] or a closeted teammate that may be sitting right next to you that’s still thinking ‘it’s unsafe to be myself’. Imagine what they’re going to feel this Saturday.”

Players also heard Brown speak about authenticity, belonging, and the role community clubs can play in shaping sporting culture through everyday behaviour, language and leadership.

“Allyship is so important, more so when you think no one’s around,” Brown said.

He also said he wished he had “queer role models” during his football career.

“For me, I had no one. The closest one was Ian Roberts, an NRL player […and] an incredible man. He came out on a national platform when it was still illegal in the state of Tasmania to be homosexual.”

While Pride Rounds have become more common across Australian sport, many LGBTQIA+ people still report feeling unwelcome or unsafe in club environments. Discrimination, exclusion and fear continue to keep people from joining teams or being open about who they are to their teammates.

Brown attended with his children and his partner Lou, spending time with players after training and speaking about the value of representation in sport and the importance of creating environments where everyone feels able to participate fully.

“Pride is a wonderful thing. It is the opposite of shame,” he said.