Waters is buoyed by the lift returning to rugby training has given to his team, who are current champions of the IGR Southern League.
“It’s important to be back training. You can try to do different things over zoom but it’s so different from seeing the boys and having a laugh with people.
“I think Covid has hit our community hard. Many of our players live alone and don’t see anyone outside their bubble. I only have my cat for regular company, plus my family who I’ve bubbled with – and my relationship with them is so different from the one we have with our teammates.
“Some players travel from all over South Wales to come to our club so with various lockdowns and the Firebreak we’ve been apart for a long time and it’s so good to get back together.
“Sport, and rugby in particular, is so good for mental health. I would say some of our players thrive from being able to interact with each other – on their own they can struggle quite a bit. Just being able to see team mates again and train, even with social distancing measures, has brought back a real sense of normality. The massive advantage we have in rugby is that it’s for everyone – all shapes and sizes.
“It’s important to have support from the top of the game – to know there’s a place for everyone and that we’re an inclusive sport is huge. At Cardiff Lions, everyone knows it’s a safe space, you can meet new people in a safe environment. We have a number of straight players in our team too and that’s important, they really buy into our inclusive culture.
“Our numbers are even up. Before the season was suspended in March, we had around 35 players training regularly. Now we have 40 registered players and seven more have joined in the last week. We are able to split the group for training and it looks like we’ll be able to run two teams going forward which is fantastic.”
Cardiff Lions benefitted from the Sport Wales Be Active Fund, funding by Welsh Government and National Lottery, to help them return to training through purchasing PPE and cleaning equipment. Waters added, “It was a big help. Returning to rugby safely was key for us and our players.”
