York Lions rugby club dons dresses for charity

Rugby players try to drum up support by wearing dresses while they play.

On November 15m the York men’s rugby club met on the field behind CanLan Ice Sports for a game of rugby.

As per usual, the players donned their rugby gear — shorts, jerseys, cleats, and scrum caps for some. The only difference this time were the dresses they put on over top. For two hours in the cold, players from the York Lions RFC and rugby players in the community competed in formal attire in support of the charity Act To End Violence Against Women.
The charity, whose vision is “to end violence against women through education, advocacy and action,” was chosen by the team members as the cause they wanted to support through the friendly game.

“It is a great cause, and there is certainly a resonance not only with our players but with the greater York community,” says Head Coach Chris Rideout. “It was a great game, and we ended up raising much more [money] than we had expected, which is certainly a bonus.”

During the two-hour event, the team raised a total of over $350 in support of the charity and were cheered on by a group of members of the York women’s varsity rugby team, who came to watch the friendly game.

Robbie Neilly, president of York’s men’s rugby club, thinks the game was a fantastic way to end a successful year for the Lions.

“It was really awesome to see everyone come out to the game, especially the ladies of the women’s varsity team who came to watch. Not only did we see greater numbers this season with regards to players, but we also had a great year on the field, and we took advantage of a great opportunity to do something positive in our community.”

Neilly does say, however, that there is still much work to be done.
“We still need to see our numbers increase for next year, and we are going to be doing lots of off-season training to prepare for next season.”
Although the team doesn’t have varsity status, they have still done well in a number of games this year. In September, they faced both Sheridan College and the York Alumni team, but fell short by a difference of five points or less. The club also faced the University of Toronto varsity team in October and after leading for most of the game, lost with a score of 22-20.
“Ultimately, we are working towards one day becoming a varsity team once again and this year was just another step in the right direction,” says Neilly.

Chris Ford
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York Lions rugby club dons dresses for charity

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