Keighley Cougars LGBTQIA+ Johnathan Zemlik took part in setting a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Game of Rugby. The game successfully raised over £100k for LooseHeadz the rugby mental health charity, Wood Spoon the rugby children’s charity and the British and Irish Lions Trust.
The 36 hour game brought 92 players across the UK playing for men’s and women’s world records respectively. Hosted at Mullingar RFC in Ireland, the teams were mixed from representatives of each charity. Mr Zemlik played for the “WoodenHeadz”.
JZ said, “It’s been an amazing journey and I’d like to thank the Cougars Family for their support and generosity! The fitness I’ve gained from their encouragement to play rugby league has given me the stamina and mental fortitude to keep going when I hit the wall. I was also very proud to represent the LGBTQIA+ community on the pitch and spread awareness about the great work on diversity and inclusion Cougars do.
JZ who plays for a plethora of clubs including IGR team Kings Cross Steelers, Ossett RUFC, LooseHeadz Barbarians RFC, but most importantly York Barbarians RLFC, his rugby league club has been the clubs LGBTQIA+ officer since 2024.
The final playing time accounting for breaks and injury time was 34 hours and 48 minutes with a score of 2,713 to 1,655 to the LooseSpoons. However it doesn’t matter what the score was, Rugby truly won the day.
If you wish to donate, please click here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/johnathan-zemlik-1?newPage=true
