. @LFC fan Paul talks about how his relationship with the club's anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone has transformed over the years #RainbowLaces pic.twitter.com/2AGTZONWRD

Nov. 26 (UPI) -- If you were watching the Premier League this weekend, you had to notice rainbow colors on and off of the pitch.

The cause was to show support for Stonewall, the LGBT equality charity. Teams around the league were wearing the color scheme and tweeting about the #rainbowlaces campaign.


Soccer and rugby players, coaches, clubs and officials were behind the effort, wearing rainbow-colored captain bands, shoelaces, displaying rainbow lights around the stadiums and much more. Corner kick flags and referee flags were also rainbow colored for some matches and officials held rainbow trimmed LED boards to signal substitutions and time.

Manchester United worked directly with the charity as part of TeamPride, which is a coalition of organizations committed to LGBT inclusion in sport and strengthening equality and inclusion within society, according to the team website.

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Before Saturday's kickoff against Brighton, United players lined up in front of rainbow branding. The club used LED pitch side messages for the cause and a rainbow theme on their social media accounts.

"Manchester United's involvement in TeamPride shows that the club is fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion," United managing director Richard Arnold said in a team statement.

"We are constantly striving to ensure we are at the forefront of this essential area and look forward to supporting Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign under the banner of #allredallequal."

"We have the expertise of our staff and partners, working to make sure our ideas, methods and best practice are outstanding in all areas of equality, harnessed to the diverse family of fans around the world, to make Manchester United and Old Trafford a home for all."

The Wembley arch was lit up above Wembley Stadium Saturday for Tottenham's 1-1 draw with West Brom.

"Tottenham Hotspur proudly supporting Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign," the club said on a message displayed on the stadium, according to the BBC.

Championship league club Norwich City included a feature of Justin Fashanu in their match day program. He was also on the cover. Fashanu, a former Canaries forward, was the first professional soccer player to come out as gay, doing so in 1990.

The Rainbow Laces campaign runs from Nov. 24 to Dec. 3. It includes national teams, top clubs, fans, players and grassroots support.

Premier League power Liverpool had a hate crime stand, manned by Merseyside Police, before their game Saturday against Chelsea. Rainbow laces were also handed out to fans before the 1-1 draw at Anfield.

"We are proud to be supporting the Rainbow Laces campaign again this year and helping to promote inclusion, equality and diversity in sport," Liverpool equality and diversity officer Simon Thornton said in a team statement. "This is something that the Club is really passionate about and continues to work hard at making advances in."

Chelsea also issued a statement regarding the initiative.

"Chelsea is proud to be an inclusive club which celebrates the diversity of our football community, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGB&T] supporters, staff and players," the statement said.

"However, we know that discrimination can affect anyone. That's why, through our Building Bridges initiative, we celebrate equality and diversity throughout the club and the wider community, to ensure that everyone feels valued and can be proud to be associated with the club."

"Anyone who witnesses or experiences homophobic, biphobic or transphobic behavior, or any other form of discrimination, at a match should report it to a steward or via Kick It Out's reporting app, which is free to download on any smartphone."

More than 180,000 supporters have purchased rainbow laces for the campaign. Stonewall found that 72 percent of soccer fans have heard homophobic abuse, 63 percent of people say more needs to be done to make LGBT people feel accepted in sports, 63 percent of young people say that open LGBT players would have a positive impact on the culture of sport and 55 percent of sports fans say they wish more sports players felt free to come out.