In what has become a beloved annual tradition, East Kilbride Pirates welcomed an elite American college team to play them on their home turf at GHA Rugby Club in Glasgow.
Kentucky’s Centre College became the fifth NCAA side to play the Pirates in as many years, in a friendly fixture that has become a cornerstone of the club’s calendar and a celebration of international camaraderie and love for American football.
As expected, the Colonels ran out convincing winners on the day, scoring early and often to finish with a 61–0 victory. But the scoreline tells only a fraction of the story. “We don’t do it because we think we’re going to win,” says Pirates club chair Amanda McDonald, adding that they’ve only scored ten points in five fixtures against US opposition. “We do it because it’s the hardest game we’ll play all year, so the next game we play will just be much easier.”
With Centre College’s trip marking the Pirates’ 40th anniversary year, the occasion was particularly special. Especially as Centre’s defensive line coach, Tom Lachendro, was himself a former Pirate. He took the opportunity of his return to once again suit up in Pirates colours, adding yet more heft to an already meaningful encounter for a club that welcomed its biggest crowd of the season.
That’s because in addition to local interest in the game, the Americans arrive as part of a wider UK and Ireland tour, bringing with them not just players but coaches, families, and plenty of Stateside swagger. “Last year’s team brought 70 players, 20 coaches, and 200 parents, it was mad,” Amanda recalls. Local families, in turn, prepare welcome hampers filled with Scottish treats like Irn Bru, Tunnock’s Tea Cakes, and haggis crisps. “Our parents put that together for the visiting players. It’s a really nice atmosphere.”
Despite a challenging day on the field, the Pirates ended the game with their heads held high. The second half, played with a running clock due to heavy rain and lightning concerns, even saw some Centre players switch sides to bolster the East Kilbride roster, a symbolic gesture of the friendship at the heart of the fixture.
While Amanda says that some critics may question the point of facing near-certain defeat, she remains resolute and a firm believer in the benefits of the match-up, “Some people might think, ‘Oh, why are you doing that? You’re getting heavily beaten’. But it’s a great way for our players to test themselves amongst really good players that have been playing since they were tiny, that automatically do the sort of things that we’re trying to teach. It’s like muscle memory to the American, so our players get to see how it should be done.”
At full time, both teams gathered before a packed stand as Centre’s head coach Andy Frye thanked the Pirates and their supporters for the hospitality. He named several standout Pirates players, and awarded wide receiver Christian Rubuga as the home team’s man of the match.
And as the rain began to fall, players, staff, and families from both teams set off for a night out on the town together to celebrate another successful transatlantic football union.
Find out more about the East Kilbride Pirates at www.piratesfootball.co.uk
