Sydney Sixers: Evaluating the Social Impact of LGBT+ Diversity and Inclusion Work

Sport organisations in Australia have recently increased efforts to promote LGBT+ inclusion within their respective sporting codes. The Sydney Sixers have committed to improving LGBT+ inclusion, and this report documents the impact of this commitment. Broadly, to evaluate and explore the impact of the Sixers LGBT+ inclusion strategy, this research focused on assessing how these initiatives promoted inclusivity across the Sixers organisation (staff, players, and fans) and their visibility and support for LGBT+ communities. The broad aims of this research included exploring the social impact on LGBT+ communities and within the Sixers organisations, and how the Sixers can influence attitudinal change through the medium of cricket and sport. A qualitative research framework was used to explore and assess the impact of the Sixers LGBT+ inclusion strategy. Data was collected via in–person and online interviews with 17 participants, who were either involved with the Sixers as a staff member, fan, member, or player. Of the total sample, 10 participants were staff members and 7 were either part of the rainbow supporter group or a player/fan of cricket. The sample consisted of 8 cisgender men, 8 cisgender women, and 1 participant who identified as a transgender woman. Analysis of the data identified 5 key themes. These included, attitudinal change, individual impact, institutional change, LGBT+ empowerment, and impact on the sport sector. The findings from the research clearly indicate a high level of impact to both LGBT+ communities and across the Sixers organisations, impacting staff, players, and members. Most significant too, were indications of both attitudinal and behaviour change amongst staff. The report concludes with 7 key recommendations which include institutionalising LGBT+ inclusion across Cricket NSW, ongoing training and education, and connecting with other LGBT+ sport/organisations in NSW.