Rugby Canada is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Canada was incorporated in 1974, and stems from the Canadian Rugby Football Union, a body established in 1884 that now governs amateur Canadian football as Football Canada; and the now-defunct Rugby Union of Canada, established in 1929. Rugby Canada administers the Canada national rugby union team and sanctions the Rugby Canada National Junior Championship, a national competition for under-20 men's teams. It previously sanctioned the Super League as the premier level of men's competition in the country, but scrapped that league after the Americas Rugby Championship was created in 2009 as a two-stage competition in which the first involved only Canadian teams.
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 crashed during the September 11, 2001 attacks. The most recent tournament was held in Ottawa, Canada, in August 2022 and was won by the worlds first gay and inclusive rugby club the Kings Cross Steelers.
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 each season.
The British Columbia Rugby Union (BCRU) is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in British Columbia, Canada. The BCRU consists of nine sub-unions and 65 clubs. It was originally organized in New Westminster in 1889 where Alfred St. George Hamersley, the former England rugby union captain and recent immigrant to Vancouver, and member of Vancouver Football (Rugby) Club, became the first President. The same man is credited with founding the Amateur Athletic Club of British Columbia. and previously had introduced the game of rugby to the youth of South Canterbury, New Zealand. The current headquarters is on the west side of Vancouver.
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 includes over 60 clubs across the world.
The British Columbia Men's Premier League is a provincial rugby union competition currently contested by twelve clubs in British Columbia, Canada and one in the U.S. state of Washington. The BC Premier League is organized by the British Columbia Rugby Union.
The James Bay Athletic Association is a Canadian rugby club based in Victoria, British Columbia. The JBAA were formed in 1886 and are said to be the oldest sports organization west of Montreal.
The Westshore RFC is a rugby union club located in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. The club has the largest junior program on the island and is home to a number of Canadian national men's and women's team players.
The Capilano Rugby Football Club is a Canadian rugby union team based in West Vancouver, British Columbia. The Capilano Rugby Football Club currently play in the British Columbia Premiership and have won the BC Premier Championship three times.
Caledonian Thebans Rugby Football Club is Scotland's leading inclusive rugby club and represents Scotland in international rugby union tournaments for inclusive teams.
The Ottawa Wolves are a rugby union football club for men and women in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The men's side of the club is predominantly made up of gay men, but both sides of the team are inclusive of anyone who wishes to join regardless of sexual orientation.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other non-heterosexual or non-cisgender (LGBTQ+) community is prevalent within sports across the world.
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 clubs. Based in London, UK, IGR is recognised by World Rugby 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.
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 of all abilities, backgrounds and sexualities from Bristol, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas since that time.
UBC Old Boys Ravens is a Canadian rugby union team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1974, Ravens was formed by graduates from the University of British Columbia. The club currently competes in, and is the two-time defending champion of, the British Columbia Premier Rugby League.
The Manchester Village Spartans RUFC is Manchester's gay and inclusive rugby union football team based at Sale Sports Club, Manchester.
Brock Staller is a Canadian rugby union player who plays wing for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby (MLR). He also plays international test rugby for Canada.
Muddy York RFC is Toronto's only Inclusive rugby team and Canada's second Inclusive rugby team. The team was founded by Dave Galbraith in 2003, and is part of the TRU and IGR organizations. Muddy York RFC is Toronto's first amateur gay team.
The Vancouver Meralomas football team was a Canadian football team that played in the British Columbia Rugby Football Union and the Western Canada Rugby Football Union from 1926 to 1938. The team was part of the popular and successful Meraloma Club. The Meralomas also fielded championship junior football sides for many decades.
The Vancouver Rogues is a rugby union team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It's inclusive to players of all sexual orientations and gender identities and is part of the IGR. In 2022 the team participated in the Bingham Cup and was the top Canadian Team that participated.
