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ROSES 2022
LANCASTER FANS’ ANIMOSITY
LANCASTER FANS DISPLAY A LACK OF SPORTSMANSHIP AT THIS YEAR’S ROSES BY KATIE PRESTON BY KATIE PRESTON
AFTER YEARS OF NO IN-PERSON Roses, the atmosphere for York and Lancaster fans was bound to be filled with excitement, anguish and anger. Whilst traipsing around covering various sporting events across the weekend, however, Vision noticed a trend of Lancastrian fans acting particularly negatively towards their sporting rivals, ranging from intriguing anti-York chants to actual bullying. Deciding to shed a light on the issue, Vision has collated a few instances from less than civil Lancastrian fans, demonstrating that despite York and Lancastrian players appearing to remain friendly, that wasn’t necessarily the case for their supporters. Seen most predominantly at the rugby and football games, some Lancaster supporters IMAGE: LUKE SNELL were not particularly kind to their York rivals. As the York men’s rugby team entered the pitch during the final sporting event of the Roses weekend, Lancaster sup-
porters jeered and shouted as the players walked past, spraying beer at some of the players. Making matters worse by setting off red smoke bombs and blinding the Lancaster players and referees, some Lancaster supporters continued to yell at the York team, screaming insults such as “your boyfriend cheats on you” and “your parents f****** hate you” to put off the York players. Furthermore, following Lancaster’s 3 - 1 win at women’s football, the scoreboard was briefly changed to read “50 0” instead of displaying the final score, humiliating the York team who had played incredibly well during the fixture. Vision also witnessed a Lancaster fan harassing a York player by continuously following them around the Fan area with an anti-York sign. Occurring on Roses Saturday, the unnamed player repeatedly asked the fans to stop. Similarly, the Netball 3s player’s described the Lancaster energy as “[feeling] a bit like high school bullies” due to the excessive chanting from the home team’s supporters. This mentality was also seen at the Roses closing ceremony on Sunday.
YUSU President Patrick O’Donnell pictured at Roses 2022 Closing Ceremony, celebrating York’s various wins throughout the weekend and applauding Lancaster’s overall win.
When York Sport Union President Franki Riley took to the stage to present Lancaster Women’s Rugby team with their winning trophy, she was met with boos and jeers from Lancaster supporters, rather than with the respect she deserves for being pivotal in organising the sporting fixtures. This disrespect continued towards the end of Roses, with some Lancaster fans lining up outside and proceeding to swear as the York coaches boarded by players and supporters (and the Vision team) drove through campus after YUSU staff had vacated. However, despite the harshness of the Lancastrian fans, the atmosphere amongst players remained friendly, sociable and respectful throughout. At the cross country during the Roses build-up, the York and Lancaster teams cheered each other on and were more than willing to assist one another, with York applying red face paint to the Lancaster team for their squad pictures. After the women’s race, the Lancaster players cheered on the hugely outnumbered York team following a York injury, congratulating them on their placements in an act of
great sportsmanship. At the Cheerleading, Lancaster Roses thanked the York Hornets for coming to compete saying on Instagram that it was a “close competition with so many amazing routines’. Throughout the competition, Lancaster fans were supportive of York, often heard to be commenting on the technical skill and flair of York’s routines. Overall it was a great atmosphere within the Sports Hall. Similarly, many losing teams were quick to highlight the successes of their rivals, demonstrating brilliant sportsmanship, such as York’s Women’s basketball players who emphasised that the game was a great experience for both teams despite their loss. Vision has reached out to Lancaster’s Sports Vice President for comment, of which will be published online in our follow-up. Overall, Roses weekend was packed with fun, entertainment and brilliant sports etiquette from Lancaster and York alike, however the experience was slightly jarred by some unkind behaviour from avid Lancaster fans.
York Men’s Swimming team seen posing for the camera before competing against Lancaster. York went on to lose the fixture however morale and enthusiasm stayed high.
