History
The Ottawa Wolves RFC was founded in 2008 by Carl Pilon and Jay Smidt, [1] both Hero award recipients, [2] with the mission to promote and encourage participation in rugby among those who have traditionally been under-represented in the game, with an emphasis on gay men.
The club played its first game in October 2008 at the inaugural Dirty Rugger Tournament, where they tied the Muddy York 5-5.
The following year, the Ottawa Wolves joined both the Ontario Rugby Union and the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGR), and played their first season as the only team in the EORU Men's Division II developmental league. In a 7-game season against teams in Men's Division I, the Ottawa Wolves finished with 513 points against, and 0 points for. [3] The Ottawa Wolves' first league try, scored by Danny Donnini, came in their 2009 playoff game against the Barrhaven Scottish III.
The team's first victory came on August 1, 2009 against the Muddy York in Montreal. Shortly afterward, the club followed that victory with their second against the Ottawa Senators RFC. [4]
In 2010, the team participated in a rugby match with the Muddy York during Pride Week. The historic match was played on the main lawn of Parliament on August 28, 2010. [5] [6]
Expanding on the success of the men's side as a community fixture, the Wolves' women's side commenced its inaugural season in the spring of 2013. [7]
As a gay-identified team, The Ottawa Wolves have participated in Capital Pride since 2008. [8]
Involvement in IGR
On July 23, 2009, The Ottawa Wolves RFC became a member club of International Gay Rugby (IGR); they joined the Vancouver Rogues and the Toronto Muddy York RFC as Canada’s third IGR club. [9]
The IGR sanctions the biennial Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament, known casually by the name of its principal trophy, The Bingham Cup. In 2010, The Ottawa Wolves participated in the 5th Bingham Cup in Minneapolis, USA, losing the 3rd division final to the Seattle Quake RFC. [10] At the 6th Bingham Cup in Manchester, UK, The Ottawa Wolves claimed the Hoagland Tribute Cup in a hard-fought match against the Bristol Bisons, winning with the prize with a final score of 5-0. [11] In August 2014, The Wolves brought a full men's side and a partial women's side [12] to the 7th Bingham Cup in Sydney, Australia. [13] The Wolves lost in the Division 3 final to the Philadelphia Gryphons, having arrived at the final undefeated. The tournament was witnessed by more than 6000 spectators including Australia's Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, and ARU CEO, Bill Pulver. [14] [15]
The Gotham Knights Rugby Football Club is a division III men's club in the Metropolitan New York Rugby Union. Their home pitch is on Randalls Island in Manhattan. The team finished fourth in the 2012 Bingham Cup, an international gay rugby tournament, coming off a 2010 win in Minneapolis.
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.
San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club (RFC), also known as "The Fog", is a rugby union football club in San Francisco, California. It is the first such team in the western United States established specifically to actively reach out to traditionally under-represented groups in rugby, such as people of color, gay men, and women. It welcomes players who do not fit into those categories. The club has over 100 members.
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.
Capital Pride, stylized bilingually as Fierté dans la Capital(e) Pride, is the annual Pride event in Canada's National Capital Region, which includes the cities of Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec. It has been held annually since 1986.
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.
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.
Malmö Devilants RFC is a Swedish gay rugby union and volleyball club in Malmö. Malmö Devilants was founded 2004 and was the first gay rugby team in Scandinavia. Malmö Devilants is a member of International Gay Rugby Association and Board. Devilants have been playing in Union Cup in 2005 and 2007. In 2007 the club also started a volleyball team.
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.
Newcastle Ravens Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The current Chairman : Matt Hyland.
Rugby Québec is the popular name of the Fédération de Rugby du Québec which is the provincial governing body for the sport of rugby union in the Canadian province of Québec. The Fédération de Rugby du Québec is affiliated with the Canadian Rugby Union.
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 Cup Madrid 2017. The Warriors are Ireland's first primarily gay rugby team although it is open to anyone with an interest in playing rugby and includes heterosexual members.
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.
Nashville Grizzlies RFC is a men's rugby union football club in Nashville, Tennessee. The club was formed in 2006 to bring the sport to typically under-represented populations although it welcomes anyone interested in the sport. The club is made up of approximately 90 members consisting of both active players, as well as non-playing Auxiliary members.
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.
The Manchester Village Spartans RUFC is Manchester's gay and inclusive rugby union football team based at Sale Sports Club, Manchester.
Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC is a gay and inclusive rugby union club based in Brighton & Hove in Sussex, England.
The Berlin Bruisers are a gay and inclusive rugby club based in Berlin, Germany. They were founded in 2012, and are the first team of its kind in Germany. Although they are a primarily gay rugby team, the club is open to anyone with an interest in playing rugby and includes members of all sexualities and gender identities. The club is affiliated with International Gay Rugby.
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.
