World’s First Vegan Rugby Club Forms in the UK

Vegan rugby squad Green Gazelles is currently forming in the United Kingdom. Founder Brendan Bale is scouting both male and female vegan players, professional and amateur, to join the club in order to promote the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle in the sport. “The squad is already forming nicely with well-known chef Gaz Oakley, professional player Darren Dawidiuk, coach David Cleary, and many more showing a keen interest,” Bale said. “We will be formed as an invitational rugby 7s team to start competing in tournaments across the UK, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands but with the aspiration to play 15s competitively in the future.” The club is sourcing footwear from British brand Canterbury (which confirmed that it does not use leather or other animal products in the construction of its rugby boots) and looking for corporate sponsors that are in line with the club’s vegan mission. In the world of soccer, the Forest Green Rovers have been playing as a fully vegan team since 2015 and recently upgraded their uniforms to be made primarily with bamboo fibers in an effort to become as eco-friendly as possible.