NRL coaches do not support the proposed introduction of an annual Pride Round, according to an anonymous survey.
The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday published its coaches survey results with more than 20 coaches and assistant coaches responding to the biggest issues the game is facing.
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The most striking response centred around the lack of support for a Pride Round to advocate for LGBTQ+ community causes with just 33 per cent of coaches surveyed supporting the concept.
“We were always going to look at a Respect Round,” V’landys told The Telegraph.
“What a Respect Round is, is that it respects everyone’s views. We might not agree with them, but we respect them.
“So if we were going to do anything we were going to do a Respect Round. It wasn’t going to be a Pride Round because then you alienate other people.
“We pride ourselves on being an inclusive game. To be an inclusive game you have to respect everyone’s view.”
The wishy-washy response from league headquarters and the private views of its senior coaches was met with a backlash from commentators on social media.
NRL legend Laurie Daley also said on Wednesday the league was not ready for a Pride Round, saying those within the sport need to be better educated about the issue.
“It’s divisive. It’s divisive because people have got different opinions and people have got different religions,” Daley said on Sky Sports Radio.
“If you’re going to bring something in that’s divisive then you’re going to cause a lot of trouble as well. I think we all should be respectful of everyone’s opinions. And I think the game is thinking about bringing in a respect round. I’ve got my views and people have got different views to mine and I can understand why the coaches are reluctant to have it because they don’t want to go down the path Manly did last year and have players put in a situation where they are deciding to boycott a round. And when you do that you put more pressure on the individual and you place pressure on the clubs, you put pressure on the game and I don’t think they’re ready for it at the moment because it is — it’s something that’s going to be divisive.”
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He went on to say the league needs to do more work to shift the opinions of people in the game in order to boost support.
He said the recent NBL furore surrounding the Cairns Taipans’ and the team’s refusal to take part in a round that showed support for the LGBTQ+ community showed how divisive the issue remains.
Drama erupted last week when it was reported several Taipans players were “hesitant” to wear the rainbow logo before the club decided none of their players would be wearing the Pride jersey for their contest against the South Melbourne Phoenix.
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Daley said: “The league will need to think it through. I’m all for having the round if it happens.
“But at the moment with what we saw last year and with the basketball only a couple of days ago… it’s only going to happen more and more.
“Unless you have a lot of people on board with it and I think we still need a lot of work and a lot of education on it then you’re not going to change people’s views.”
The coaches survey showed 50 per cent do not think the NRL should have a Pride Round with 17 per cent of those surveyed declined to answer.
The survey also showed just 42 per cent of coaches would encourage their payers to wear a Pride jumper, with a further 16 per cent declining to answer.
You can read the full results from the coaches survey at The Daily Telegraph.
The response to the results on Wednesday were scathing of the league’s position on considering a Respect Round.
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Sport journalist Vince Rugari wrote on Twitter: “My view is that rugby league should be outlawed. Please respect my view in NRL Respect Round”.
Media commentator Greg Jericho wrote: “2023 and the NRL is worried about people who think homosexuality is evil”.
SBS journalist Naveen Razik posted: “How has this issue somehow become more divisive six years after the NRL backed same sex marriage? I can’t remember players boycotting the grand final match over Macklemore’s same love performance.
“Instead of a pride round, Peter V’landys wants a respect round that seems to acknowledges views opposed to LGBTQ+ inclusion as well as those supporting it.”
