Few players have seen more change in rugby and its attitudes and values as Harlequins and England legend Danny Care.
With a career spanning some 21 years, the scrum-half ace has played over 500 games of professional rugby, and 392 matches for Quins alone.
Care is a man that embraces the diverse nature of the Harlequins brand and he wants to see more positive inclusion within the sport.
Rise of women’s game
“I guess, for me, the key to inclusion is making people feel welcome without expecting them to conform to a given set of norms,” he told Planet Rugby.
“Since I started playing in 2004, attitudes have changed dramatically. We’ve seen the rise of the women’s game, something that we cherish at Quins, and I believe that the behavioural standards driven within that wonderful group move into the men’s game and as a result, attitudes soften as they converge. We are accepting, we want to make all welcome.
“There’s a fair bit of crossover into the women’s team in terms of coaching too. Both Chisholm’s (Ross and James) and Jack Walker are very much involved in coaching them and they bring things back into the male group in terms of learnings for us, which is exactly as it should be. No barriers,” Care enthused.
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“I realise I’m in the autumn of my career and I take my role as a senior player seriously; nothing would give me greater pleasure than if one of the players, male or female, sought my counsel around ‘coming out’ or whatever – because I could honestly say ‘mate, it’s not an issue’ – that’s how strong our internal culture is.
“Strength in any team or any walk of life comes from diversity itself. The more diverse your culture is, the stronger and more resilient it becomes – and you see that with the vast number of different types of fans that support us, and I love that part of Quins.
“The Quins shirt itself is almost a metaphor for that hotchpotch of cultures; we are in a very vibrant and inclusive area of London and our wonderful fans come from all walks of life – whether that’s class, culture, ethnicity, orientation or whatever – all are welcome at the Stoop and rugby is the glue that bonds us all together, exactly as it should be,” smiled Care.
Balance and acceptance
“It’s about balance and it’s about acceptance. I would like to think that if a player came out in the men’s team, we’d just say ‘Ok, fine, now have you learned that attacking plays?!’ In short, rugby is about being honest and truthful – and we as a group don’t want people to think they have to hide anything.
“My message is be who YOU are – the best version of yourself you can possibly be. Be honest, and everyone will embrace you. That’s the Quins way, that’s the values with which we measure ourselves with and that’s why I am so proud to be a member of this iconic club.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/danny-care-hails-harlequins-no-barriers-approach-and-flings-door-open-to-any-team-mate-coming-out
