Fans of the Glasgow Clan have raised more than £2,000 for a sexual violence charity after the club’s disastrous signing of a man accused of rape.
The Braehead outfit signed defender Lasse Uusivirta on September 29, only to abort the deal hours later following a backlash from ice hockey fans.
Uusivirta, 33, had been accused of first degree rape in the United States in 2013 before he fled to his native Finland.
But Clan fans have been showing their support to survivors of sexual assault ever since, thanks to the efforts of Callum Yorke.
The long-time Clan supporter started a JustGiving page for outraged fans to donate money to the Glasgow and Clyde branch of Rape Crisis Scotland.
It has since raised £2,050.
Callum told the Express: “Obviously, the signing caused a lot of uproar, not just amongst the Clan fans but the wider fan base within the wider league.
“There was a lot of anger and emotion.
“I wanted to show that we, as fans of the Clan, were against the signing and that’s what spurred me on to set up the JustGiving page.
“I’m the kind of person when I see a wrong I try to find a way to help and that’s what was behind this.
“The JustGiving page was a way to try and turn a negative into some kind of positive and a way for people to express their anger in a positive way and support this very worthwhile cause.”
The signing of Uusivirta has also created a conversation about sexual assault within the ice hockey fan base and wider community.
Callum has since been contacted by survivors who have thanked him for setting up the page and revealed the level of harm felt by people who have suffered rape or sexual assault.
He added: “A number of people got in touch after the JustGiving page was set up who were very upset with the overall situation.
“They don’t want to go back to games and that shows the level of damage that has been done by the club.
“Hopefully, over time, that can be repaired.”
A number of sponsors which last week confirmed they were walking away from Glasgow Clan have instead pledged cash to the Rape Crisis Scotland fundraiser.
Proximo 3 donated £100 to take the total past the £2,000 mark while Point2Point also pledged £50.
Many fans also donated the price of a game ticket or what they would typically spend while attending a game at the Braehead Arena.
Callum, from Ayrshire, has been attending Clan games for ten years – becoming hooked on ice hockey after a friend encouraged him to attend a game.
For Callum, it was the family-friendly atmosphere that was so enjoyable, with the sport providing a great way to spend time with his wife and two children, who were then young teenagers.
In time, he hopes the Clan can restore its reputation as a family-friendly club.
He added: “There are good people out there who want to do the right thing.
“It’s important ice hockey is still fun and a good place to come and spend time as a family.”
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