When the BC Lions return to the field for the first time since 2019, they will be cheered on by a more inclusive dance team.
For the first time ever, male dancers were welcomed to try out for the 40 available spots.
Auditions were held on Sunday in White Rock and final auditions are set to be held Monday.
“B.C. has never done it,” Alexandra Severyn, the Lions dance team manager, told Global News. “And we’re open to it. How it all came about, actually, is we had our open registration call and the 10th applicant was a male. So I called up the club, I said, ‘Hey, what do you think? Let’s do it.'”
She said about a dozen men signed up for the auditions on Sunday.
Previously known as the Felions — that name will change — the team rehearses every Sunday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and then performs at the pre-season game and all nine Lions regular-season home games, as well as one potential home playoff game, according to the organization.
They are also required to attend more than 200 corporate and charity functions per year.
In February, the Lions became the first CFL team to hire a full-time female coach, adding Tanya Walter as a defensive assistant.
The native of Forestburg, Alta., began coaching at Edmonton’s St. Francis Xavier High School in Edmonton in 2017 and continued through last season.
“I am honoured and grateful to the Lions organization for providing me the opportunity to make this significant step in my coaching career,” Walter said in a statement.
“I can’t wait to get to work with this Lions team.”