The Dutch football association KNVB has recently announced that it will be participating for the first time in Amsterdam’s Gay Pride festival, as part of its campaign to raise awareness of LGBT issues in football. The KNVB’s chairman Michael Van Praag and the national team manager Louis van Gaal, will be joining the Canal Parade, which will be held on the 3rd August in a ‘football boat’. 

The boat is also likely to contain a number of other footballing personalities. The initiative is part of the association’s campaign “Football for Everyone”, which was elected by UEFA as the best social project in 2013 and has also been praised by the European Gay & Lesbian Federation. 

The ‘Football for Everyone’ program is based on 11 core values and works closely with players, trainers, coaches and referees, as well as youth and professional football organisations, to promote inclusion and a better understanding of LGBT issues. The campaign also features a 30-second anti-homophobia spot named 'Gay. It doesn't matter' that aims to help football players to come out.