There’s a good reason why Southampton won’t have their normal kit sponsors this week

A really great move.

A team’s shirt sponsor is an iconic part of any classic kit. Just think of Liverpool and Carlsberg, Manchester United and Sharp, or Arsenal and JVC. Southampton are currently sponsored by Virgin Media – but for their home game again Man Utd on Wednesday night they with be ditching that logo from their shirts. https://twitter.com/virginmedia/status/863046264929255426   Instead, the shirts with have the logo for disability charity Scope. It’s part of a campaign to end disability discrimination in football grounds. Eight out of ten disabled football fans say that they have experienced discrimination, and is designed to raise awareness about the issue. Scope’s Chief Executive, Mark Atkinson, said:

Football is our national game and has the ability to bring people together.  We know that large numbers of fans want everyday equality and that means an inclusive game where discrimination of any kind isn’t tolerated. Disabled fans shouldn’t feel forced out of the stadium. It’s great to see football teams like Southampton FC highlighting the issue, with the support of Virgin Media who’ve donated their shirt sponsorship to Scope for this match. The rest of the football industry now needs to work together and kick disability discrimination out of the game.