An LGBTQ+ inclusive Liverpool rugby team are set to play their “biggest game in history” which could see them become champions of the North of England.
In their most successful season so far, the Liverpool Tritons RUFC have reached the grand final of the IGR Division 1 North League, which will see them compete against Leeds Hunters Rugby. Having previously come third in their last two seasons, the team are guaranteed to at least be runners-up come Saturday, April 1.
Director of Rugby Simon Bartley said it was “difficult to put it into coherent words” what it would mean for the team to win.
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The 48-year-old told the ECHO: “It would mean the absolute world to be the crowned champions. Everyone has put in so much to get us to where we are and it has been really paying off, it's paying dividends. It’s so gratifying for us to be in that position.”
Simon first got involved with the club after spending a decade in London. There, alongside studying and working for the NHS, he was involved with coaching rugby teams and wanted to bring his knowledge up North, back to where he grew up.
The Scouser, who was born in Broadgreen but now lives in Old Swan, played for a Runcorn-based team as a teenager but had to give up his dreams after sustaining a back injury.
He said: “Rugby has been the only sport for me - the only one I’ve been any good and had a real passion for. So to lose it at such a young age when I had such potential was quite devastating.
"Coming home to Liverpool and being able to be involved with an inclusive team, it finally felt like I had found my true place and my home within rugby. Although I don’t physically play, being the director is the closest thing you can get to playing.
“Emotionally, I go through every single tackle the players go through and at the matches, I prowl up and down the touchline because the nervous energy is so great. The concern for every player who is on that field is almost physical. It’s a rugby family and a lot of people will tell you that.”
The squad of 23 is being captained by Stuiey Wilson-Maher this weekend as team captain Sam Seagraves is recovering from surgery.
It has been Sam’s mission to reach the final for the last few years now as winning would see the team integrate better into local leagues, have better exposure and more development opportunities. The 32-year-old, who is from Fazakerley originally, got his first taste of rugby through the Tritons but has since played for Merseyside Police and Wallasey.
The NHS lawyer said: “It’s been a hard-fought battle every time we’ve played against other teams, but I love it, rugby has become my whole social life. In a normal season, I play rugby every Saturday without a break.
“The sport itself has always been the key element for me because I’ve always been athletic but I’ve never had an outlet before. Since being with the Tritons, I’ve never looked back and enjoyed every single experience.”
Two players who have joined the team under Sam’s direction are Simon Hunter-Barnett and his boyfriend Danny Goodyear. The newcomers both started “on a total whim” after signing up for a try-out session during the Pride in Liverpool annual celebrations - a key date in the Tritons’ calendar.
Simon, a 26-year-old PhD student from Southport, recalled how he had “never been much of a team sports person”. The University of Liverpool student, who plays second row, explained that his experience with sports in school and “the environment” that came with it put him off - until August last year.
He said: “In school, I felt like I couldn’t join in on sports because I was being judged for not being good or for having more flamboyance than anyone else. I had never experienced such a wide community before. The Tritons is my first time spending so much time around like-minded people and the LGBTQ+ aspect definitely drew me in.”
Danny, a secondary school science teacher, echoed a similar sentiment. He said the support from the team, which has over 40 active players, has gone beyond just on the pitch.
The 26-year-old who lives in Moreton, Wirral, has built friendships with others in the community thanks to the club's social events - which range from post-training drinks to quiz and bingo events to dressing up in drag and dancing the night away in The Lisbon, the team’s sponsor.
The flanker told the ECHO: “I never had any close LGBTQ+ friends so it's been great to meet people who understand what life can be like as a member of that community. It is like a family, people are very friendly and supportive. You soon settle in and given the variety of members, you're guaranteed to find someone you get along well with.”
The Liverpool Tritons RUFC are always open to recruiting new members and train every Wednesday between 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Leisure United, Jericho Lane.
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