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Rishi Madlani

@rishimadlani

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Climate & Sustainability, Pensions, Emeritus Governor LSE, UK100 board, Uni of Leicester council, Leicester City, Foxes Pride, Pride in Football

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Great to see so many LGBT+ fans from clubs right across the UK together at the LGBT+ Fans Forum 🏳️‍🌈⚽️ (special shout out to @iainfaefife repping @proudsaintees for possibly the longest journey!) 👏🏾⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Huge thanks to the @wearethefsa & the whole team behind pulling the event together, as well as all the @prideinfootball groups who helped make it a success. There are far too many of you to name individually, but you know who you are ❤️

Wonderful too to finally get a physical copy of our new toolkit - something we’ve put a lot of work into and I’m really proud to see out there helping clubs and fans - massive shout out to @cass_yde & @topherchris1987 for most the content & our in-house designer @richardyoung71 for making it look 😍

As much as it’s great to be in the East Midlands… this is now our second LGBT+ fan meet-up in Notts, so can we please agree that Leicester fans don’t need to be sent to the City Ground again for a few years?! (Our team are doing their best to ensure this on the pitch!)😂🦊

At this rate, I’m at serious risk of going full Marinakis and storming onto the pitch if you make me come back again 😂

Joking aside, it was brilliant to meet the new fan group for the OG Nottingham club 👏🏾 Proud Pies and to see so many brilliant people doing great work across football 💪🏾⚽️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🫶🏾

And, in all seriousness, seeing @jakeharrisonclarke’s (& now my) family is always one of the highlights of any trip to Notts - though one visit without incident would be nice 😜❤️

A great few hours, great people and a really important reminder of the strength of LGBT+ fan communities across the country 🏳️‍🌈⚽️

Lots achieved & even more to do 💪🏾⚽️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ taken in West Bridgford by @rishimadlani

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a day ago

Nothing says having your life together like a 6am start for a 12.30 kick-off in Barnsley 😂🦊

5-6 hours on trains for a football match, alongside 4,341 Leicester fans doing exactly the same thing. Our away support really is something else. 💙 The atmosphere stayed mostly positive and supportive despite the result, with a great stadium, friendly locals and plenty of familiar faces making it another proper away day ❤️

On the pitch, we really should have made more of a strong first half and taken one of the chances that came our way. Cullen getting his second was a real positive, and hopefully we can keep giving some minutes to our own young talent too 🦊

A tough one to take, but there were positives to build on. O’Hara will probably want another look at their goal, following in Souttar’s footsteps from last week! 🤦🏾‍♂️😂

There was understandably plenty of debate about Faes starting. I could see the logic, although perhaps the fanbase needed a little more convincing 😂 Wout then reminded us why the debate exists by giving their forwards a bit too much freedom on a couple of occasions 😭

But another ground ticked off - 50/92 🏟️ (European grounds very deliberately excluded 😉)

Lots of pals seen, plenty of laughs and another Leicester away day done. And crucially, back in time for a birthday cocktail for one of my LSE OGs🍸😂

That’s commitment to the cause. 🦊💙 by @rishimadlani

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16 days ago

Always a pleasure chatting Leicester City with @owynnpalmeratkin & @_mattpiper_ on @bbcleicester - especially after a 4-3 away win! 🤩💪🏾💙🦊

Both great allies - thanks for letting me plug the @foxespride quiz on 20 November at the King Power, with Walshy (yes THAT one!) taking on quiz master duties! 🙌🏾💙🦊🏳️‍🌈

Tickets go on sale this week - keep your eyes peeled and get yourself along. It should be a belter! 🦊🏳️‍🌈💙

If you fancy hearing me talk Leicester for a bit longer than is probably healthy, have a listen 👇🏾😂

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/leicester-city-when-youre-smiling/id323988539?i=1000789601110 taken in Leicester, United Kingdom by @rishimadlani

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21 days ago

Stockport (a) - Edgeley Park (49/92) 🏟️✅

In a parallel universe, I wouldn’t have been able to tick off a new ground yesterday 😜⚽️

Tickets were like hen’s teeth, but somehow I made it into a brilliant away end with around 1,200 Leicester fans for only our second league visit to Edgeley Park in more than a century!

What a ground too. Proper old-school football ground, right in the middle of the town. Loved it.

And then the game… 🤯

Stockport 3-4 Leicester. First away win in what feels like forever, two debuts for O’Hara and Lundstrøm, and two goals for new striker Emil Riis. Not a bad introduction! 🦊💙

4-1 up and cruising before, inevitably, making it unnecessarily stressful. Two Stockport goals ruled out for offside, but they still got it back to 4-3.

Souttar looked solid defensively, although the distribution was… 😬 And our goalkeeper remains an enigma - two world-class saves, but also moments when you wondered if he could have done better. The away end even clocked the rather alarming 10 shots, 7 conceded stats 😳

Three very important points, but definitely not one for the blood pressure.

Ground food rating: the chicken balti pie was excellent - great pastry - and a cheeky little fence meant us taller people could see over it 😂🥧

A few beers in the Wellington before and after too. Really welcoming for away fans and great to have a proper chat with Stockport supporters afterwards. Though Andy might want to do something about that leaky roof! 🍻

And as always, the journey is half the experience.

Managed to meet Michael Marks, former Millwall player and the club’s youngest hat-trick scorer and Freddy, drummer with the Skinner Brothers, who has also toured with Kasabian. You couldn’t make some of these train journeys up! 😂🚂

Had a quick wander around Stockport too - my homing instinct remains remarkably strong when confronted with a town hall and community hub. 😂 But some great civic art, and I’m pretty sure I spotted a new padel court too. 😍

Special mention to Ryan Jude for making it across for a beer - always good to see familiar faces in unfamiliar places 🙌🏾🦊

49/92. Oakwell next week for number 50. Bring. It. On. 🏟️⚽️🦊 taken in Edgley Park, Stockport County F.C by @rishimadlani

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23 days ago

Ipswich away in the @thecarabaocup last night - very glad to have been one of the 900 loud Leicester fans in the away end. These tickets should basically become Willy Wonka golden tickets for future aways 😜🍫🦊

A much better performance, despite the slightly unusual decision to deploy full-backs as centre-backs! The young players continued to give us plenty of hope, and we were definitely the better side in the first half. The fans responded to the effort on the pitch, even against an admittedly much-changed Premier League side.

Nice touch to applaud Kasey McAteer off when he came off, and it was pretty clear there were some extra Ipswich fans there to say goodbye to Conor Chaplin and Wes Burns.

Definitely quality rather than quantity in the away end - but a lovely evening, a much better performance and, after Saturday’s horror show, at least a little bit of hope restored for the season 🙏🏾💙🦊

Roll on Saturday and a trip to MK Dons 💪🏾 taken in Ipswich Town Football Club by @rishimadlani

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a month ago

🎭🎶 Hercules - Monday night

Finally got around to seeing Hercules at Drury Lane last night - and I think I can see both why Disney spent the money on it and why it’s closing on 5 September!

The set and projections are cool. Lots of clever use of the stage and some very impressive visual moments - evidently the Disney dollar has been spent pretty well on the staging! 💵😂

But overall, it didn’t quite land for us. The sound wasn’t great last night, with some of the vocals and dialogue getting lost, and while there are some good performances and fun moments, it never quite reached the heights you’d expect from a Disney musical 😢

The Muses are probably the standout, and there’s some really clever production work going on, but I can understand why it hasn’t become the next Lion King or Frozen.

We were also slightly gutted to miss Jake’s old classmate in last night’s performance - typical! And there’s a little @royalacademyofdramaticart connection too, with @craiggallivanofficial 🎭

Anyway, glad we saw it - particularly for the staging - but I’m not going to pretend it’s going straight into my list of favourite West End shows!

Closing 5 September, so if you want to catch it, you haven’t got long… taken in Theatre Royal Drury Lane by @rishimadlani

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a month ago

First visit to Notts County as a Leicester fan ✅🏟️(48/92) 💙🦊⚽️

I’d been to the ground before for a conference and a few drinks when Leicester were playing Forest, but finally made it to Meadow Lane for a game 🙌🏾

A team very much in transition, with plenty of new names and clearly more rebuilding still to come. Around 70% possession, but not enough to show for it. Bristric is going to need time to settle, but BCDR isn’t the long-term answer to our lack of strikers.

Lots of positives from the young players, though. Alves and Braybrooke both impressed and JJ had a good game, taking his goal very nicely. Plenty to build on. 🦊

As always, one of the best things about following Leicester is the people. Brilliant to see some awesome Lestah folk and the Notts County fans were super friendly too. A proper good football day out, on and off the pitch🍻

EMR Trains, meanwhile, decided the journey needed a little more adventure… a detour via Grantham! 🚂😂

A few from the day - the stadium, the pubs, some of the people and, obviously, some football 📸

Onwards, Lestah💪🏾💙 by @rishimadlani

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2 months ago

Still smiling after a brilliant day at @homeofcricket (Lord’s) yesterday 🙌🏾🏏

A privilege to be there for the first ever Women’s Test at the Home of Cricket. It felt like one of those occasions that was about far more than the result - a landmark moment for the game and a chance to witness history (albeit very belatedly!) 🤩

We were lucky enough to see Kranti Gaud @kranti_gaud_26 become the first woman ever to earn a place on the famous Lord’s honours boards with her superb five-wicket haul. Watching today’s play from home, it was brilliant to then see Yastika Bhatia @yastika.bhatia join her to become the second woman - and the first batter - to join her with a magnificent century 💯🏏

A bit like London buses… you wait more than 140 years for the first woman’s name on the honours boards, then two come along in the same Test! 👏🏾🏏

It was also a lovely day spent with my brother, cousin & pals in the sunshine, with plenty of cricket chat along the way. Great to bump into @sabfrancis and Garry too - always nice when sport brings folks together 🫶🏾

After Trent Bridge last weekend and Lord’s yesterday, it’s been a fantastic run of England vs India cricket. Whatever the score, it’s another reminder of how sport - and cricket in particular - continues to bring our two countries and communities together 🇬🇧🤝🏾🇮🇳

Here’s hoping this is just the beginning of many more Women’s Tests at Lord’s (& many more women on those honours boards 👏🏾) 🙏🏾 taken in Lord's Cricket Ground by @rishimadlani

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3 months ago

🌈🎭 Pride the Musical at the National Theatre 👏🏾 - what a brilliant evening 🤩

Fun songs and music. Clever staging. Bold, energetic and inventive, making great use of the space while never losing sight of the human stories at its heart. It was funny, moving and uplifting in equal measure, with some powerful performances 👏🏾

One of the best parts of the evening was bumping into so many friends and familiar faces, while also making some new ones from across our amazing LGBT+ community. That’s always one of the joys of nights like these 🫶🏾🏳️‍🌈

It all felt especially apt given the show’s Bloomsbury connections. References to Gay’s the Word made me think of the incredible legacy of Mark Ashton, whose blue plaque I was honoured to be at the unveiling of on Marchmont Street above @gaysthewordbookshop 🙌🏾💙

History matters. Pride didn’t happen by accident - it was built by people with courage, solidarity and a determination to stand up for one another. Shows like this remind us how far we’ve come, while reminding us there’s always more to do 🙏🏾

A fantastic production and well worth seeing, sold out @nationaltheatre but I’m sure it will transfer 🌈👏🏾 taken in National Theatre by @rishimadlani

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3 months ago

My 1st visit to Trent Bridge for England vs India T20 🏏☀️

A brilliant day at a proper cricket ground - full of history, character and a friendly atmosphere. I’d seen Trent Bridge from a distance many times before, usually on the way to nearby football grounds (can’t quite remember who plays near there 😉) and also on visits to see the Outlaws - aka @jakeharrisonclarke’s family - but finally made it through the gates!

Huge thanks to Leicester legend @vijayriyait for taking me along for my first match here, and for sharing the day with his lad @jeevansriyait. Great company, sunshine and memories made ❤️

It was a different atmosphere to the other England vs India games I’ve been lucky enough to attend - partly the heat, partly the timing, but plenty of fun nonetheless. Trent Bridge is a great venue too, with some excellent food options and even a £6.60 pint - not exactly cheap, but for a big sporting event I’ve seen much worse 😂🍻

A chance too to see the 15-year-old Indian superstar Vaibhav Suryavanshi (briefly!) on the big stage. Sadly for India fans, it was also a day to forget - a record-breaking performance in the wrong direction 😂🏏

One of the best things about sport is how it brings people together. On the journey home, I ended up watching the Switzerland vs Colombia penalties with a group of random sports fans as we arrived into St Pancras - different teams, different backgrounds, same love of the moment 🙌🏾⚽️

And back to cricket this weekend - off to Lord’s to watch England vs India again, this time the women’s Test match. Another brilliant reminder of how sport connects our two countries and brings people together, on and off the pitch 🇬🇧🇮🇳

More days like this please 🙏🏾 taken in Trent Bridge Cricket Ground by @rishimadlani

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3 months ago

London Pride 2026 ✅🌈🔥⚽️

Wonderful to spend the day with so many of my LGBT+ football & political family, our pals from across the UK and so many supportive familiar faces along the parade 😍🤩😍

Huge pride too in marching with so many @prideinfootball groups (one day we will all get allocated a bit closer so I can see you all!) - proper representation across clubs, fanbases & rivalries. The movement feels bigger and more visible than ever, even if the work to turn visibility into long-term equity still has a long way to go 🙏🏾

Special mention to supporters from St Pauli London and friends from German branches - a reminder this is a genuinely global movement. Feels especially fitting during a World Cup where the football has been brilliant but its power to drive change and unite people is too often overlooked.

Pre-march energy was peak football chaos in the best way: Dutch “links rechts” chant setting the tone, bouncing down the street 😂 and “Football’s Coming Home” getting the crowds going along the parade (though I’m still not sure if it has officially become “Wonderwall” now? 🤷🏾‍♂️😅)

Either way it did exactly what football does best - brought people together, got the crowd moving and turned a march into something loud, joyful and collective.

The march itself feels a little longer and harder each year - not just because of the heat and scale, but because engagement is tougher and the wider culture wars have slowed progress on genuine inclusion in too many spaces.

And yet that’s exactly why it matters more than ever.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with people pushing for real change, not just symbolism.
Celebrating how far we’ve come.
And refusing to let well-funded forces drag things backwards.

Grateful for every conversation, every banner, every chant and every step with people who refuse to go quietly backwards 💪🏾🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️⚽️

Also shoutout to my rock @jakeharrisonclarke - on a football day like that he’s definitely gone: if you can’t beat them, join them & embraced his inner hooligan😅⚽️ taken in London, United Kingdom by @rishimadlani

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3 months ago

From one great English stage to another… ⚽🎭

After watching the England game last night, today it was time for another of England’s greatest storytellers - Shakespeare - on a very different but equally iconic stage 🏟️

One of my (& @jakeharrisonclarke’s) favourite Shakespeare plays and somehow… our first ever visit to @the_globe theatre despite living within walking distance! 🤦🏾‍♂️❤️

There’s something magical about seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream here. The Globe delivers exactly the right level of immersion - close enough to feel part of the action, but never gimmicky. We were even grateful for a little more breeze than expected on such a warm afternoon 🌬️☀️

A huge shout out to Romaya Weaver’s Helena and Adrian Richards’ brilliantly funny Bottom, who completely stole the show for us. 👏🏾 It was also lovely to spot a few @royalacademyofdramaticart connections in the cast (one which I recalled from student productions!) - after nine years on the RADA Council, I may never have trodden the boards myself, but I clearly picked up an eye for recalling talent along the way 😉🎭

The biggest compliment I can give the production is that I completely forgot I’d been standing for over two hours on my dodgy foot… although I’m definitely feeling it now! 😅

I’d wholeheartedly recommend the authentic Groundling experience - standing in the yard really adds to the atmosphere. The only thing that felt slightly less Elizabethan were the helicopters overhead! 🚁😂

The interval was a much more welcome hydration breaks and we finished by topping up our water bottles at the drinking fountain with that wonderful view of St Paul’s behind us 🤩

A reminder that some of the best experiences are waiting right on your doorstep 😍🎭 taken in The Globe Theatre, Southbank by @rishimadlani

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3 months ago