The four police forces across Yorkshire and the Humber are uniting at a truly ‘grass root’ level.
They have brought together their skills on the pitch to create the first ever Yorkshire Combined Police Rugby Union Football Club.
Comprised of officers from Humberside, North, South and West Yorkshire, the team will play their first match on 4th March 2020 against North Wales Police.
The players have now been presented with their new kit, by the Chair of the club, West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable, Tim Kingsman.
The black shirt featuring a ‘thin blue line’ promotes the local community group Project 14, which aims to raise funds and awareness for mental health charities.
The club is purely member funded and all involvement is during the officer’s own personal time. Mr Kingsman said:
“Yorkshire is known to have a real affinity with rugby and is a sport, which is rooted within our traditions and communities.
“We really wanted to represent that strong connection we have with the people we serve, whilst showcasing the dedication and commitment among our ranks.
“We already work in close collaboration with neighbouring Forces across a number of different policing activities and coming together in this way is simply further cementing those strong relations.
“The subject of mental health and wellbeing also remains high on the national agenda and is something that we all proactively work to address across the service.
“We are therefore proud to be able to use our club to promote awareness of Project 14 for what is an incredibly important subject.
“Now we have established this squad, we hope to build further upon it and bring more success to the region.”
