MADRID LIONS RFC

Absent Friends Tournament

The loss of loved ones is always painful.  The Lions lost their first member on the 10th of August 2006 when Paul Anderson lost his long battle against cancer. He was 46 years old.  Paul will always be remembered as one of the founder and stalwart members of the Madrid Lions R.F.C., editor of the fist issues of the club’s newsletter – From the Lions Mouth – an excellent sport and an extremely competitive player, both on and off the field, while still successfully combining his allegiance with CAU, his former rugby club in Madrid.  One of his great memories and achievements in his late playing years was to have played for Madrid Lions against Steve Bainbridge, a former British Lion and forward like himself, and succeeding in not allowing him to exploit his fortitude or game skills.
Paul was a man of principles in all aspects of life and particularly about the game of rugby, the curse of mediocre referees and the moaner we all loved.  He always made his presence felt watching internationals live on the box, be it at Nicks place, Finbar or Finnegans, and his loud commentaries were always expected and greeted by the audience (every time referee!!).  He was married to Ana and had a son, Liam Douglas.  

But by far the hardest blow to The Club, was the loss of our Founding Father John Charles William Humphrey on the 30th of May 2021, when as Paul, he succumbed to the same terrible disease. There are no words to describe the pain we all still feel for his loss or a way to stop shedding a tear every time we think abut Charlie. 

But for those who never met the most kind, remarkably witty, and Loving Father to us all, some facts may help; his 42 years at Westinghouse Electric Company describe his unwavering tenacity or stubbornness! His tenure as President of The Madrid Rugby Federation from 1993 to 1997, clearly exemplifies his pursuit of spreading the best sport in the world and his profound love and devotion to the extent of founding his own club! Charles was married to Megan and had 3 beautiful daughters Cecilia, Clara & Mónica. 

His legacy continues with his extended family, The Madrid Lions RFC, surviving the global pandemic and standing strong today, growing season after season, with more and more international members uniting in Madrid to celebrate his legacy.

    The Charles Humphrey Cup, awarded to the winner of our Annual Tournament held yearly the second half of May.

















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A few clubs from Castilla La Mancha and Murcia (Albacete, Ciudad Real, Murcia, Talavera de la Reina and Toledo), being orphans of the federation, decided to organise a regional championship for the 2004-2005 season, and they suggested that the Madrid Lions R.F.C. join them.  Unfortunately, even though the competition looked promising and its size tailored to our needs, after the first matches it became clear that it would fail due to the lack of commitment from some of the teams and the distances involved.  The project did fail, but some veterans who played during that season remember that besides the individual victories, this was where the club won its only league title for the simple fact that they managed to get a team to every match.