Katie McCabe has publicly confirmed her relationship with fellow international player Ruesha Littlejohn.

McCabe and Littlejohn attended the launch of Aviva Pride. Aviva is going to light up the night skies of Dublin by turning Aviva Stadium awash with the colours of Pride until June 8.

McCabe is the captain of the Ireland Women’s National team and a proud representative of the LGBT+ community.

“As captain of the Ireland team and an Arsenal player, I’ve got a platform to speak up and show support for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) community,” said McCabe.

“The women’s game is a very accepting community. You love who you love and you’re not really judged. I’m 23 now and have been around that in the game since I was a youngster being part of older teams.

“Aviva have shown it’s safe to dream and be who you want to be. There’s no better showcase for pride than lighting up the national stadium.”

''It's a different story for everyone out there, but your happiness is the most important thing''

We’re incredibly proud to bring two of our most cherished partnerships together – Aviva Stadium and Pride.#SafeToDreamhttps://t.co/FkC7sp9eOt pic.twitter.com/NgUDyXKxGY

— AVIVA (@AVIVAIRELAND) June 4, 2019

McCabe also spoke of her pride in 2015 when Ireland became the first in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote.

“I remember that day so clearly,” she recalls with a broad smile. “I thought ‘fair play, Ireland’ as it showed a lot of solidarity. It paved the way for the next generation to be who they won’t.

“People don’t have to go abroad to marry and that’s a brilliant thing. Maybe I could do that one day.”

Speaking of this initiative from Aviva, McCabe said she’s hoping the community take it as a sign they are not alone.

“Growing up, my dream was to play football for Ireland. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to achieve this dream. One of my favourite things about sport is that it brings people together, it gives people a sense of belonging, and it fills them with great pride and passion.

“Seeing the Aviva Stadium, our national arena for rugby and soccer lighting up the Dublin skyline in rainbow colours is truly amazing. I’m hoping that the men, women, boys and girls throughout Ireland will see this Aviva rainbow as a sign that they belong to a bigger community, that they are not alone, that they can be themselves and that they can achieve their dreams, no matter what.”

As well as lighting up the stadium, Aviva are proud to sponsor the Dublin Pride Run, in aid of a number of Irish LGBT+ charities, and they are the headline sponsor of the 2019 Rainbow Ball, which supports the crucial work of charity BeLonG To Youth Services. On June 29, over 100 Aviva colleagues, family and friends will march in the annual Dublin Pride Festival.