Exiled in Stockholm TEXT BY ERIC PAGLIA PHOTOS BY PÅLSTÅLNACKE Expatriates tend to find ways to make living abroad feel more like home. Often the natives find the foreign flair in their midst quite appealing. This is not only true for the array of English, Irish and even Australian pubs in Stockholm frequented by expats and locals alike: it is also the story of the Stockholm Exiles Rugby Club. In 1963 a handful of "exiles" (mostly of the love variety) formed a rugby club that has helped introduce the sport to the citizens of Stockholm. Coming from England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Finland, the United States and Japan, these Stockholm Exiles of the early days were mostly short-timers, living in Sweden for only a few years. This led to a lot of turnover in the club's composition and mixed results on the field. For the first ten years of the Exiles' existence a no-Swedes policy was in force, as the founders wanted Swedish rugby clubs to develop organically on their own. By the early 1980's a major shift had taken place that made the club's name a bit of a misnomer: the Exiles became increasingly composed of native-born Swedish players. Today the Exiles are a mix of Swedes, expatriates permanently settled in Sweden, and foreigners passing through Stockholm for a year or two. The past five years has seen the club become increasingly reliant on foreigners once again, with the Exiles from abroad mainly hailing from Australia, with a few British and Frenchmen also in the club. Adult men are not the only ones playing rugby under the banner of the Stockholm Exiles. In 1993, the women's Stockholm Rugby Klubb came into the fold, adding an Exiles Ladies dimension. Since that time there has been a rapid development of the Exiles' youth sections as well, and today the club is actually an assortment of men's teams, women's teams, juniors' teams and youth teams. Players range in age from 8 to 45. The club also runs a rugby school for young beginners ranging in ages from 5 to 15. The adult teams train twice a week and play home matches on weekends at Årstafältet Guy Dinwoodie, a Scotsman who has been involved with rugby in Sweden for ten years, coaches both the men's and women's teams. Mr. Dinwoodie also has experience coaching the Swedish national rugby team. Five players from the Exiles played on the men's national team this year, and four players from the Exiles Ladies played for the women's national team. Brothers Hamish Mabon and Hunter Mabon Jr, and Jane Hodson for the Ladies, have represented the Exiles on Sweden's national teams for years. The fact that the Exiles are currently to a large extent composed of non-Swedes, who are ineligible to play for Sweden, is responsible for the club's under-representation on the national team. Rugby is still a relatively small sport in Sweden, but it has grown steadily. Today there are over 3000 licensed rugby players in the country. Matches are played from late April into October. This year's finals were held on October 2nd at Stockholm Stadium. Stockholm Exiles RFC, both women and men, were the champions. HOW TO JOIN Stockholm Exiles is an amateur club that welcomes anyone wishing to join. Club activities are centered at Årstafältet. Off-season training starts in January. Anyone interested in finding out more or wishing to contact the club can visit heir website at www.exiles-rfc.org © 2006, Swedish Bulletin. All rights reserved