Make a date with our girls
Ayr calendar is a big fundraiser
The women of Ayr Ladies Rugby have shown that there is more to being part of the team than getting muddy on the pitch with the release of a fundraising calendar.
The team swapped the floodlights for the limelight with their versions of well- known film posters, supported by sponsorship from local companies GSI, the TreeHouse, KW Detailing, Courtney Plant, ATV Services, Bennett’s and Box People Architects.
Former player Amy McGillivray – from McG Photography – and current player Lee Steward added their photography and editing expertise to the mix and the result is a fun and playful calendar featuring a lot of Ayr Ladies’ regular players as well as a special cameo by Ayr RFC committee member Stewart Kerr.
Each of the 12 months of 2018 are celebrated with recreations of the billboards of great films such as The 7 Year Itch, American Beauty and St Trinian’s. The BT Women’s Premier League team girls have also paid tribute to their fundraising calendar inspiration, the Calendar Girls.
The idea for the project originated when the ladies got together at the start of the season to come up with some alternative fundraising ideas.
Second row Sonja Liekens said: “Rugby calendars, either standard team pictures or the more risqué naked ones, have all been done before and we wanted to do something that put across the character of our ladies team.”
Rugby is very much a sport for all shapes, sizes and backgrounds and that was the running theme in this calendar. There are pictures like Calendar Girls and Chicago that show a bit of flesh but at the same time there is The Shining to add some humour and even a very classic Dancing in the Rain scene.
Second row Jenni Kerr added: “This whole project has been fantastic – I absolutely loved every part of making this calendar, we had so much fun and it brought us all together. Joining Ayr Ladies is one of the best things I’ve ever done!”
When meeting the girls to take some pictures, it is clear that this is more than just a team. They love having a laugh together and know each other very well.
Team captain Laura Turner said: ““We are so much more than just a group of people playing rugby, this is a team who do fitness, socialising, and help each out other out. Our age range goes between 17 and 45 and there is a wide variety of backgrounds. Everyone is welcome, no matter who you are or where you’re from.”
Commenting on his team’s fundraising efforts, the Ayr Ladies coach Stuart Fenwick added: “It’s great to see the team working so well together off the pitch to produce this calendar.
“It’s a testament to the effort these women are willing to put in to make sure the sport remains open and affordable to anyone who wants to get involved.”
Ayr Ladies Rugby Team regularly trains on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening, with full matches taking place during the rugby season. New players of any experience level welcome.
More information on the team and their fixtures can be found on their FaceBook page Ayr Ladies Rugby (@ AyrLadiesRugby).
The calendar can be purchased from: http:// shop. ayrrugbyclub. co. uk/ accessories- 3/
Calendars can also be purchased from the bar at Ayr Rugby Club. All proceeds go to the ladies team to help fund their campaign in the BT Women’s Premier League.