Pride in Sport Festival opens LGBTQIA+ community and allies to inclusive sporting opportunities

The Pride in Sport Festival, organised by Adelaide University Sport, was a free, vibrant, and inclusive community event held on Saturday 12 April 2025, at Park 10 in North Adelaide.

The festival was developed as part of the national Pride in Sport Festival, a series of events held from November through April which aim to welcome new participants into sports and celebrate the achievements of inclusive sporting clubs. Those taking part in the festival included a variety of local LGBTQIA+ sporting and community clubs, with the overarching goal of promoting diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the world of sport.

The dynamic one-day festival welcomed individuals of all backgrounds, skill levels, identities, and orientations to participate in a range of activities, allowing them to try something new in an accepting, safe and welcoming environment. The day’s events included sporting demonstrations, inflatables for the younger crowd, runs and hikes around Adelaide’s picturesque Torrens River, and stalls from community-based LGBTQIA+ sports clubs/groups, state sporting organisations and university-affiliated sport clubs.

The day started with the Torrens Parkrun led by Adelaide Frontrunners before the Festival began at 9am, with Adelaide Spikers providing a morning-long volleyball session on their outdoor court, Pride Tennis Adelaide setting up a mini tennis court for visitors, and Squash SA bringing along their inflatable squash arena.

At 10am, Hike Society led attendees on a one-hour hike around the Torrens. Various other sports, such as petanque, fencing, roller derby, dodgeball, and rugby were also on show, and LGBTQIA+ health groups Thorne Harbour and SAMESH also attended to provide information about their services.

Importantly, the event served as a platform to connect LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies with inclusive sporting communities in South Australia. It offered visibility to queer athletes and clubs, encouraged ongoing participation in physical activity, and helped reduce barriers that some individuals may face when accessing traditional sporting environments.

The Pride in Sport Festival was part of Adelaide University Sport’s broader commitment to championing equity and inclusion. This commitment was recognised on the national stage recently with two nominations at the 2025 Australian Pride in Sport Awards, where the university is a finalist in the LGBTQ+ Inclusive Innovation Award for its Play with Pride Brunch, and where Daniel Lawlor has been nominated for the Executive Leadership Award. This recognition highlights the AU Sport’s proactive approach to making sport safer and more welcoming for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Beyond just sport, the festival created space for celebration, dialogue, and community building. It demonstrated how sport can be a powerful tool for social inclusion and cultural change, reinforcing that everyone deserves the opportunity to form bonds, compete, and belong.

Connect with clubs who attended: