International Gay Rugby (IGR), formerly known as the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB), is the umbrella organisation for the world's gay and inclusive

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

clubs. Based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, UK, IGR is recognised by

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

as the representative organisation of the LGBT and inclusive rugby community, up to the point they both have signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining a commitment between the two organisations to work together to educate and eliminate homophobia in rugby. Also, IGR provides its member clubs with development support and resources in the areas of club organisation, recruitment, retention, fundraising, event management, and regional and national union relations. IGR ensures the regular celebration of the

Bingham Cup The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament or the Bingham Cup is a biennial international, non-professional, gay rugby union tournament, first held in 2002. It is named after Mark Bingham, who died on board United Airlines Flight 93 when it cras ...

, the biennial world championships of gay and inclusive rugby, as well as the

Union Cup The Union Cup is a biennial European, non-professional, gay rugby union tournament, bringing together teams and joint teams from all over Europe. It is held every odd-numbered year. History Montpellier 2005 The first edition was held in May 2005 i ...

, the European tournament.

Member Clubs

IGR lists 94 gay and inclusive rugby clubs as members.

Africa

South Africa

Jozi Cats Jozi Cats is a South African gay and inclusive rugby club founded in 2015 and based in Johannesburg. The club is Africa's first gay and inclusive rugby club. History The club was founded in 2015. During 2016 the club launched a recruitment camp ...

, Johannesburg

Asia

Israel

* Tel Aviv Leviathans RFC, Tel Aviv

Japan

* Osaka Rugby, Osaka *

Tokyo Tyrants Rugby Club Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

, Tokyo

Europe

Belgium

* Brussels Straffe Ketten, Brussels

Denmark

Copenhagen Wolves RFC Copenhagen Wolves RFC is the rugby section of Pan Idræt. The section is a member of the Danish Rugby Union and the International Gay Rugby International Gay Rugby (IGR), formerly known as the International Gay Rugby Association and Board ...

, Copenhagen

England

* Berkshire Unicorn, Maidenhead, Berkshire * Birmingham Bulls, Birmingham, West Midlands *

Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC is a gay and inclusive rugby union club based in Brighton & Hove in Sussex, England. Club history The Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents were formed on 4 November 2015 at a meeting at the Camelford Arms pub in Kempto ...

, Brighton & Hove, Sussex *

Bristol Bisons Bristol Bisons RFC is an inclusive English rugby union club based in Bristol. Founded in 2005 as the south west’s first inclusive rugby team, the Bisons have welcomed players (and supporters) of all abilities, backgrounds and sexualities from ...

, Bristol * Chester Centurions, Chester, Cheshire * Coventry Corsairs, Coventry, West Midlands * Derby Raiders, Derby, Derbyshire * Hull Roundheads, Hull, Yorkshire *

Kings Cross Steelers The Kings Cross Steelers are a British rugby team, based in London. Founded in 1995 it was the world's first gay-inclusive rugby union club. Its founding sparked the beginning of a much larger gay-inclusive rugby movement which to date include ...

, London *

Leeds Hunters Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populatio ...

, Leeds, Yorkshire * Liverpool Tritons, Liverpool, Merseyside *

The London Stags ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, London *

Manchester Village Spartans The Manchester Village Spartans RUFC is Manchester's gay and inclusive rugby union football team based at Sale Sports Club, Manchester. The club welcomes players at all skill levels who do and do not identify as LGBT, and has both Rugby Union ...

, Manchester *

Newcastle Ravens Newcastle Ravens Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The current Chairman : Robin Davies History The team was organised to help encourage gay people to take part in the sport. The team was founded ...

, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear *

Northampton Outlaws Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, Northampton, Northamptonshire *

Reading Renegades the Berkshire Renegades (formerly the Reading Renegades) are an American Football team currently competing in the Division 2 South British American Football League. play their home games at the University of Reading in Reading, Berkshire. First f ...

, Reading, Berkshire *

Sheffield Vulcans Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...

, Sheffield, Yorkshire * Typhoons RUFC, Preston, Lancashire * Westcountry Wasps RFC, Teignmouth, Devon. (Devon’s first LGBTQ+ Inclusive rugby club). *

Wessex Wyverns la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

, Southampton, Hampshire * The Worcester Saxons RFC, Worcestershire * York R I Templars, York, Yorkshire

France

* Les Coqs Festifs, Paris *

Les Gaillards "Les Gaillards Paris Rugby Club" or "Les Gaillards Parisiens" is the first LGBT rugby team in France, created on 19 January 2004 and recognised as an association of general interest since 23 February 2023 by the Préfecture de Paris. The associa ...

, Paris *

Los Valents de Montpellier LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

, Montpellier * Rebelyons, Lyon * Tou'Win, Toulouse

Greece

* Athenian Centaurs RFC, Athens

Ireland

* Belfast Azlans, Belfast, Northern Ireland *

Cork Hellhounds Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as ...

, Cork, Ireland *

Emerald Warriors The Emerald Warriors are an Irish rugby team based in Dublin. They play in the Leinster Metro League Division 10 and 7 and are members of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board. They are the reigning bronze final champions since Union ...

, Dublin, Ireland

Italy

* Libera Rugby, Rome

Germany

* Berlin Bruisers, Berlin * Cologne Crushers, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia * Munich Monks, Munich, Bavaria

Netherlands

* ARC Lowlanders, Amsterdam

Norway

* Oslo Raballders RUFC, Oslo

Portugal

Lisbon Dark Horses Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, Lisbon

Scotland

* Caledonian Thebans, Edinburgh *

Glasgow Raptors Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Glasgow * Dunfermline Knights, Dunfermline *

Aberdeen Taexali Aberdeen Taexali is a rugby union club based in Aberdeen, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to ...

, Aberdeen

Spain

* Madrid Titanes, Madrid

Sweden

* Stockholm Berserkers, Stockholm

Wales

Cardiff Lions __NOTOC__ The Cardiff Lions RFC ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Llewod Caerdydd) is a gay and inclusive rugby union football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club was founded in 2004 and is the first of two gay and inclusive rugby clubs in Wales. The Lions wer ...

, Cardiff *

Swansea Vikings Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

, Swansea

North America

Canada

* Armada Montréal, Montreal, Quebec * Ottawa Wolves, Ottawa, Ontario * Toronto Muddy York, Toronto, Ontario *

Vancouver Rogues Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Vancouver, British Columbia

Mexico

Mexico City Spicy Barbarians Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, Mexico City

United States

Atlanta Bucks Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Atlanta, Georgia *

Baltimore Flamingos Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Baltimore, Maryland *

Boston Ironsides Boston Ironsides Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Ironsides play in the New England Rugby Football Union as a Division 4 Men's Team; retaining around 40-60 members (players and supporters) ea ...

, Boston, Massachusetts * Charleston Blockade, Charleston, South Carolina *

Charlotte Royals Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, Charlotte, North Carolina * Charm City Knights, Baltimore, Maryland *

Chicago Dragons (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Chicago, Illinois * Colorado Rush, Denver, Colorado *

Columbus Coyotes Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo (surname), Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also re ...

, Columbus, Ohio * Columbus Kodiaks, Columbus, Ohio * Crescent City Rougaroux, New Orleans, Louisiana *

Dallas Diablos Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

, Dallas, Texas *

Dallas Lost Souls Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Dallas, Texas * Gotham Knights, New York City, New York * Los Angeles Rebellion, Los Angeles, California * Madison Minotaurs, Madison, Wisconsin *

Milwaukee Beer Barons Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Milwaukee, Wisconsin *

Minneapolis Mayhem The Minneapolis Mayhem Rugby Football Club is one of the nation’s few male rugby clubs that makes the sport accessible to traditionally underrepresented groups, including people of color and gay men. "Our goal is to foster local, regional, na ...

, Minneapolis, Minnesota * Nashville Grizzlies, Nashville, Tennessee * Philadelphia Gryphons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *

Phoenix Storm Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, Phoenix, Arizona * Portland Lumberjacks, Portland, Oregon * San Diego Armada, San Diego, California *

San Francisco Fog Fog is a common weather phenomenon in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as along the entire coastline of California extending south to the northwest coast of the Baja California Peninsula. The frequency of fog and low-lying stratus clouds is ...

, San Francisco, California *

Seattle Quake Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of N ...

, Seattle, Washington *

Space City Rugby Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

, Houston, Texas *

St. Louis Crusaders ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

, St. Louis, Missouri *

Washington Renegades The Washington Renegades are a Division III and Division IV rugby union club based in Washington D.C. Established on October 24, 1998, by Mark Hertzog. In October 1999, the club played its first 15s match against the Roanoke Rugby Football Club. ...

, Washington, DC *

Washington Scandals Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, Washington, DC

South America

Argentina

* Ciervos Pampas Rugby Club, Buenos Aires *

Huarpes Rugby Club The Huarpes or Warpes are an indigenous people of Argentina, living in the Cuyo region. Some scholars assume that in the Huarpe language, this word means "sandy ground," but according to ''Arte y Vocabulario de la lengua general del Reino de Chi ...

, Mendoza *

Ruda Macho Rugby Ruda may refer to: Islands * Ruda (island), Croatian island in the Elaphiti Archipelago Rivers * Ruda (river), a river in Croatia, tributary of the Cetina river * Ruda (Narew), a river in Poland, tributary of the Narew * Ruda (Oder), a river in ...

, Buenos Aires

Chile

* Titanes Rugby Club, Santiago

Oceania

Australia

* Adelaide University Sharks, Adelaide, South Australia * Brisbane Hustlers, Brisbane, Queensland * Melbourne Chargers, Melbourne, Victoria * Perth Rams, Perth, Western Australia * Sydney Convicts, Sydney, New South Wales

New Zealand

* New Zealand Falcons, Auckland

International

International Society of Inclusive Rugby Referees International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

IGR World Barbarians IGR may refer to: * Iguazu International Airport serving Puerto Iguazú and the nearby falls * IGR Iwate Ginga Railway in Iwate Prefecture, Japan * Imperial Japanese Government Railways (or, domestically, Imperial Government Railways) of early 20 ...

References

External links

* {{Gay Rugby Clubs Rugby union governing bodies Rugby league governing bodies International LGBT sports organizations * Sports organizations established in 2002