Team Leicester champion gender equality

The University's Sport and Active Life team have officially launched new sports kits that include the #HeForShe logo in support of the University’s commitment to the global solidarity movement for gender equality led by UN Women.

The worldwide HeForShe movement seeks to progress the advancement of gender equality specifically through increased engagement of men and young people as advocates and agents of change, whilst supporting and engaging with women. Leicester is one of only ten universities worldwide to be a United Nations HeForShe IMPACT Champion.

Team Leicester members wore their new kits for the first time on Monday 30 April whilst being presented with the 2018 Varsity Trophy by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Boyle as this year’s winners of the local sporting competition with De Montfort University.

Dr Kate Williams, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said: “This is an important investment in our students’ experience. By providing this new kit and sponsoring Team Leicester with the HeForShe logo, we are making public the conversation around gender and invite all team members to be HeForShe advocates and to make a commitment to pledge their support to the HeForShe campaign.”

This commitment ties in to the wider Sport and Active Life ‘Be the Influence’ wellbeing campaign, encouraging all sportspeople at the University of Leicester to protect and promote the wellbeing of themselves and their fellow teammates. As part of ‘Be the Influence’ and the University’s HeForShe commitment, sportspeople are expected to be ambassadors of their team, Team Leicester and the University as a whole.