{"id":33159,"date":"2019-02-22T12:50:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T12:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=33159"},"modified":"2019-02-22T12:50:08","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T12:50:08","slug":"first-gay-inclusive-rugby-club-in-cardiff-celebrates-15-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/first-gay-inclusive-rugby-club-in-cardiff-celebrates-15-years\/","title":{"rendered":"First gay-inclusive rugby club in Cardiff celebrates 15 years"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left\"><iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fuc8cN5hgG8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fuc8cN5hgG8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>It all started with just three blokes throwing a rugby ball about.<br \/>\nThis sparked an idea and these men decided to create the first gay-inclusive rugby club in Wales.<br \/>\nThe Cardiff Lions RFC began with just a few men playing touch rugby, but this soon changed.<br \/>\nBefore long, the team were competing with other gay-inclusive rugby teams across the UK, and making a name for themselves as the only gay-inclusive team in Wales.<br \/>\nIt stayed like this for a decade, until the Swansea Vikings were set up; however they remain the only two clubs in Wales.<br \/>\nNow, the Cardiff Lions are celebrating 15 years of love and pride; competing locally, nationally and worldwide.<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33200\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33200\" style=\"width: 575px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-33200\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"575\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop.jpg 944w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33200\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33200\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"575\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop.jpg 944w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/noscript> Copyright: Cardiff Lions RFC #jointhepride<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nDaniel Guy, 28, from Canton, a Digital Marketing Consultant, joined the team in 2016. He found the Cardiff Lions at a time when he needed them most.<br \/>\n\u201cI used to live in London. I had mental health problems and crashed out of work to take a break. I felt isolated.<br \/>\n\u201cOne day I was speaking to someone and they invited me along and I did it. I just fell into it. I\u2019d never played before \u2013 the club environment is so welcoming.&#8221;<br \/>\nAlthough the team is made up of primarily gay members, you don\u2019t have to be gay to play. The Lions welcome anyone, whatever their sexuality or gender-identification, and have\u00a040 registered players aged 18 to 50.<br \/>\nMr Guy continued: \u201cWe find that for gay men, there are less opportunities to play rugby than gay women.<br \/>\n\u201cWe are part of a gay community nationwide. We allow anyone with any ability. It doesn\u2019t matter what your sexuality or gender is.\u201d<br \/>\nWith the homophobic attack in Cardiff on Gareth Thomas, the former Wales rugby union international, in November last year, it is easy to understand why a gay-inclusive club like the Cardiff Lions is so important.<br \/>\nIndeed, it has only been 22 years since the world\u2019s first gay-inclusive rugby union team was created, the Kings Cross Steelers in London.<br \/>\nFelix Murphy, 27, from Penarth, an Assistant Maintenance Engineer for Network Rail, had never played rugby before joining the Cardiff Lions four years ago.<br \/>\nHe said: \u201cI\u2019m straight \u2013 I was put off rugby because of the hyper-macho reputation \u2013 you know, you\u2019d see an article on LadBible of the initiations where they would be naked with chickens.<br \/>\n\u201cEveryone was really welcoming and nice. You just come down and throw a ball about.\u201d<br \/>\nInitiatives like Stonewall&#8217;s Rainbow Laces campaign each year encourage teams to show their support for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and exclusivity in sports.<br \/>\nHowever, Mr Murphy believes this shouldn\u2019t be limited to just a day: \u201cIt does frustrate me because when there\u2019s Stonewall, they wear rainbow laces and it\u2019ll be a big deal for that one game but why can\u2019t it be for every game?\u201d<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33203\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33203\" style=\"width: 1203px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-33203\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1203\" height=\"802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-770x513.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1155x770.jpg 1155w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-370x247.jpg 370w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-293x195.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1400x933.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1203px) 100vw, 1203px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33203\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-33203\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1203\" height=\"802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-770x513.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1155x770.jpg 1155w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-370x247.jpg 370w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-293x195.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/download-6-1400x933.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1203px) 100vw, 1203px\" \/><\/noscript> Reading Renegades RFC Vs Cardiff Lions RFC in November 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nJarrod Vaughan Roberts, 33, a Pharmacist from Pontcanna, joined the club in 2017.<br \/>\nHe said: \u201cI was quite late coming out so I didn\u2019t have many friends in the gay community. You can make friends and play rugby \u2013 this gives me the chance.<br \/>\n\u201cIf someone told me three or four years ago, I would have probably laughed in your face.\u201d<br \/>\nThe Cardiff Lions Chairman, Gareth Waters, has been part of the club for five and-a-half years, working as captain, coach and now chairman.<br \/>\nHe said: \u201cIt\u2019s for the kids at the back of the class that come into rugby later on in life where we can teach them rugby and train them up.<br \/>\n\u201cThe point of the club like this is rugby is the perfect \u2013 whether you\u2019re fat, thin, big or small you can play. It doesn\u2019t matter who you are or what you are, rugby has a place for you.\u201d<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37079\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37079\" style=\"width: 1032px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37079\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1032\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2.png 1032w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-1024x635.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-770x478.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-500x310.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-293x182.png 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1032px) 100vw, 1032px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37079\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1032\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2.png 1032w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-1024x635.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-770x478.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-500x310.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/rugby2-293x182.png 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1032px) 100vw, 1032px\" \/><\/noscript> Martin Plant, 40, is a player-coach for Cardiff Lions RFC.<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nAdam Harrison, the Regional Representative from International Gay Rugby (IGR), said: \u201cIt is a great form of social activism whereby we can be who we are, show what we do and prove to the world that we are no different from anybody else.<br \/>\n\u201cWhen asked why there is a need for our kinds of clubs, that it&#8217;s not about a need for a club for LGBTQI+ people; but a beacon for those who don&#8217;t feel comfortable heading to a regular club.\u201d<br \/>\nThe club are preparing to play teams from across Europe this year in Dublin for the Union Cup which celebrates rugby with the LGBT community.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The next fixture is against the Birmingham Bulls away on the 9 March.<\/li>\n<li>For more information about the team, check out their Facebook page <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CardiffLions\/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&amp;eid=ARBHK80UHvjTj8YDGByrxexfYxYolpOLyORPFn0fayox5vc86YV-QRbN4u98YsFqUYn4KyMIjW23leXo\">here<\/a> or go to their website <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cardifflionsrfc.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It all started with just three blokes throwing a rugby ball about. This sparked an idea and these men decided to create the first gay-inclusive rugby club in Wales. The Cardiff Lions RFC began with just a few men playing touch rugby, but this soon changed. Before long, the team were competing with other gay-inclusive rugby teams across the UK, and making a name for themselves as the only gay-inclusive team in Wales. It stayed like this for a decade, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":33200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,4,113],"tags":[6402,154],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-33159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugby","category-sport","category-uncategorised","tag-gay-inclusive-rugby","tag-rugby-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>First gay-inclusive rugby club in Cardiff celebrates 15 years - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/first-gay-inclusive-rugby-club-in-cardiff-celebrates-15-years\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First gay-inclusive rugby club in Cardiff celebrates 15 years - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It all started with just three blokes throwing a rugby ball about. This sparked an idea and these men decided to create the first gay-inclusive rugby club in Wales. The Cardiff Lions RFC began with just a few men playing touch rugby, but this soon changed. Before long, the team were competing with other gay-inclusive rugby teams across the UK, and making a name for themselves as the only gay-inclusive team in Wales. It stayed like this for a decade, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/first-gay-inclusive-rugby-club-in-cardiff-celebrates-15-years\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-22T12:50:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/crop.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"944\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"708\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Louise Lazell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Louise Lazell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/first-gay-inclusive-rugby-club-in-cardiff-celebrates-15-years\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/first-gay-inclusive-rugby-club-in-cardiff-celebrates-15-years\/\",\"name\":\"First gay-inclusive rugby club in Cardiff celebrates 15 years - 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