- Share
-
-
-
Around the Grounds | Aberdeen Taexali
They may be one of the country’s newest clubs, but they are almost certainly the only direct link between Scottish rugby and ancient Greek philosophy.
Named after
Ptolemy’s name for the people of ancient Scotland, Aberdeen Taexali are the
latest addition to the Scottish LGBT+ inclusive rugby community.
“It came
about through a conversation I had with a friend – he plays for Leeds Hunters,
and he asked if there would be interest in Aberdeen,” explained Bryan Sinclair,
the club’s chairman.
“I put out a
few feelers on Facebook, got some pretty decent interest and from there we set
up our first training session.”
Fast forward
a year, and the Taexali – open to straight players in addition to members of
the LGBT+ community – are thriving in the north-east.
“Over the
last year we’ve grown steadily – we’re regularly getting about 20 or so coming
along to training,” said Sinclair.
“We have two
sessions per week and players dip in and out based on other commitments. It’s a
great mix of people and it’s going really well.
“There isn’t
much of an LGBT+ scene in Aberdeen – there’s definitely a community, but not
much diversity in terms of things to do. Rugby provides the obvious physical benefits,
but also is a great one in terms of maintaining a good state of mental health.
We wanted to set something up for people to come along to regardless of their
sexuality, and even learn a new sport in a lot of cases.”
Having
firmly established themselves in their inaugural year, the next step for the
Taexali is the one that will take them out onto the pitch. A friendly against
the Glasgow Alphas will mark the club’s first-ever fixture, with Sinclair
excited at the prospect of starting 2020 in historic fashion.
“We’ve had a
lot of support from the Alphas since setting up, so we’re really looking
forward to playing them,” he admitted.
“We’ll
probably go hell for leather on the pitch though! Everyone has been really
supportive of us – the community in Scotland has been really helpful in terms
of helping us get set up, and going forward there’s talk of setting up
mini-tournaments between the Scottish teams. There’s massive support for anyone
out there looking to do something like this.”
With the
Edinburgh-based Caledonian Thebans bidding for the 2022 Bingham Cup – named
after Stuart Bingham, one of the passengers who thwarted the hijacking of UA93
on 9/11 – and the Glasgow Alphas and Dunfermline Knights also making waves in
their communities, it’s clear that LGBT+ inclusive clubs are enjoying a spike
in popularity in recent months. Across the UK, 23 teams are currently
affiliated with International Gay Rugby UK, with the Taexali’s sights set on
joining the nation-wide league in the near future.
“We’re hoping to continue to grow in terms of
numbers, and we’re aiming to join the IGR league in 2020/21,” admitted
Sinclair.
“Between now
and next summer, we’re hoping to set up a few friendlies and then look to get
involved with the northern conference of the IGR league.”
For Sinclair
and the Taexali, though, enjoyment of the sport itself remains front and
centre.
“Most of the
guys who have never played possibly surprised themselves with how much they
enjoy the sport!” he laughed.
“Other guys
who have played before and then taken a bit of a break have come back in and
picked it up really quickly, so it’s been a really positive experience all
round.
“It’s such a
friendly, welcoming environment. People instantly feel included and it’s a
completely judgment-free space – background and experience don’t matter at all.
“It’s about
having some fun and if we win some matches along the way, even better.”
