SHORE : “We’re all big believers in being as inclusive as possible down here at Seville.”

Seville Football Netball Club’s Senior Coach Kane Shore says that his side are excited by the opportunity to participate in the sixth Yarra Valley Pride Cup this Sunday when the undefeated Blues travel to Yarra Glen to celebrate inclusion and diversity in our great game.

Like all clubs that participate in Pride Cups Seville were treated to a chat from Pride Cup founder Jason Ball to ensure all players have an appropriate level of awareness and education about the event before taking part. Shore says that Ball’s talk with the club was relaxed, interesting and eye-opening.

“He had a pretty relaxed vibe with all the netballers, footballers, coaches and committee about what the Pride Cup is, what it’s about, how it all started and the heights it has taken off to.”

Check out our feature article with Jason Ball here

Shore’s group are extremely supportive of the concept and have a general level of excitement about the weekend as the prospect of a bigger crowd and increased atmosphere ‘pricked their ears up’. He is also confident that his squad can spoil the party. Yarra Glen have never lost a pride cup, but will have a challenge on their hands with an inform Blues outfit who are fresh off wins over Yea and Powelltown.

“I think it’ll be a close game, they’ll be raring to go after a week off, but we had a good win over Powelltown on the weekend and we’ve got some players returning from injury.”

Shore has also been in touch with some his contacts at Yarra Glen to find out more about the day and its carnival atmosphere and expects his troops to embrace the challenge and enormity of the day. The club as a whole is well prepared and understandably ‘pumped’ after they approached Yarra Glen about being involved in this edition of the Pride Cup. Things have come along way in terms of understanding and inclusiveness since Shore was a boy and everything has changed for the better. Football still remains tribal and there are still rivalries, but as Shore points out ‘at the end of the day we’re all the same’.

“We’re a really open and inclusive club and we want to be known as that sort of club,”

“It’s easy to keep your eyes and ears close on these sorts of things, but we need to accept the real world.”

Shore says one of the things that stayed with him after Ball’s chat to the club was the freedom that ‘coming out’ had given Ball and he knows that Seville would react the same way Ball’s teammates did back in 2012.

“The strength of the bloke to do it, without knowing what the outcome would be is just incredible,”

The Yarra Valley Pride Cup is taking place this Sunday at the Yarra Glen Football Ground beginning at 10am – you can find out more information here