Sea Serpents Sighted in Brighton
When Ian Chaplin was asked why there wasn’t an inclusive rugby club “in Brighton of all places”, he said he thought it wasn’t a problem as the gay community could play in any local club.
Then Rugby World Cup 2015 came to town, with South Africa playing Japan and Samoa taking on the USA at the Brighton Community Stadium and a fanzone was set up on Brighton beach.
“Neil Piyper, secretary of International Gay Rugby, said that this had to be the best time to start something new. So with a friend, Byron Todd, who like me had been a member of Kings Cross Steelers and had also moved to Brighton, a meeting was set up in a local pub.
“We didn’t know if anyone would be interested but 50 turned up and we said ‘OK we have to do something now’ and got a couple of guys from the Steelers to come and do some coaching in a local park.”
Hove Offer a Home
Soon Sussex RFU had been in touch to ask if any players had ever felt unwelcome or rejected and were assured there were no problems, simply a desire to create a social side and then both Hove and Brighton clubs offered the team, now called Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents, a home. The team opted for Hove’s Recreation Ground, with its good public transport connections, and began playing friendlies against Sussex clubs.
Under qualified coach, Tom Foy, they played their first match in February 2016 having borrowed Hove kit. Hosting the Steelers 4th team, they lost 25-0
“We played in a freezing cold downpour on a muddy pitch with a slight incline,” says Ian. “It was a real eye opener for the guys who were new to the game.”
The rest of the season they played friendlies, before joining Sussex League 4. It was a tough introduction but that season they won their first match, against East Grinstead 3rds. The next season, they secured victory in about half their games. What they had discovered, however, was that for new players it was tough going toe to toe with seasoned opposition, many having started in club first teams when they were younger.
“We realised we were not quite there yet and decided to play friendlies again and in the International Gay Rugby league. We are a one side club and the most important thing was enjoyment,” says Ian, who is club chairman and has been through the RFU Leadership Academy.
This covid-hit season they have played two friendlies and a development match against the newly-formed South London Stags. They turned the tables with a 48-10 win against the new boys, having loaned the visitors a couple of their more experienced players to even up the second half.
Ian, who with his sister Jill runs the family business making aluminium castings, played rugby at Caterham School where the headmaster was Stephen Rider Smith, who played scrum half for England from 1959-64.
Now he can see the ball coming
“I had worn glasses since the age of four and couldn’t see the ball coming but not playing rugby was never an option at my school,” he recalls.
In 2010 he had laser eye surgery and played prop for a combined Manchester Spartans and Kings Cross Steelers side in the Bingham Cup in Manchester.
“At school I was the youngest in my year and played hooker. As a front row I was told it wasn’t my job to catch the ball but to pick it up and run into people. Hence, although I could now actually see it, I still couldn’t catch the ball! Of course, we lost but it was brilliant. As I tell the players in Brighton, winning isn’t the whole story, enjoying yourself and improving is more important.
“Rugby is fantastic, the Bingham Cup is amazing and everything is changing, moving so fast. I’ve certainly found everyone in Sussex extremely helpful and very friendly and it’s really handy having Geraldine Brown, the Hove chairman, on the RFU Diversity Panel. I have a huge number of friends through rugby, was recently talking on Facebook with a transgender man in Baltimore. I am thrilled that we have transgender players, that sport welcomes them, when everything else can be so anti, especially in America.”
For Ian the most important thing is for the next generation to enjoy their lives. “You only have one life and rugby has brought me that enjoyment and acceptance.”
Tough time to come out as gay
Growing up in the 80s, “the whole AIDS crisis kept me back. I was 35 before I came out to my sister Jill who said I must tell my father. Dad didn’t care, he said why would anyone deliberately choose a hard life?”
Having told his other sister Lindsey and his mother, Ian got on with his life, met and married his partner Stephen and now press gangs him into rolling up his sleeves and making sandwiches and curries at matches and club functions.
“What rugby brought me essentially was enjoyment and it’s that enjoyment and welcome that I hope other younger gay players discover. I’m working on my succession plan, preparing others to take on those golden roles in the club.”
But for now Ian is happy among his rugby friends, wearing his club polo which the players gave him with Daddy on the back.
“I think they call me that because I’m just old, or maybe because I’m the one buying the drinks,” he laughs.
No longer playing himself, he makes sure others can, and everyone hopes this rugby daddy continues to play his part. Now he can see the ball, maybe touch or even walking rugby awaits.
