Rugby

 

Photos courtesy of Kings Cross Steelers/Click image for larger view

World's first gay rugby team wins top award

The Kings Cross Steelers, the first rugby club for gay and bisexual men has made history by receiving a top English national rugby award in recognition of the progress made by the club's 1st XV in the RFU English Clubs Championship during the 2001-2002 season. The team has been named `'Rugby World/Tetley's Team of the Month'' for March and is featured in the latest issue of Rugby World. The award is jointly sponsored by Rugby World magazine and Tetley's Bitter, a beer sponsor of England Rugby.

This prestigious title is open to more than 1,800 British and Irish rugby clubs outside the Premiership (or its equivalent). Only eight teams in the UK and Ireland receive this award annually and the Steelers are the first gay team to achieve the honor. During the 2001-2002 season the Steelers won matches against seven of the other nine clubs in their division of the league (Eastern Counties 3 South), including a 20-0 win against league division winners Burnham on Crouch RUFC.

"Winning the 'Rugby World/Tetley's Team of the Month' award is a major honor for our club and sends a clear message that Rugby Union truly ranks as one of the most inclusive sports in Britain," said Steelers  chairman Alex Standish. "We are confident that this high-profile recognition will boost our recruitment of talented players for the forthcoming season. Our next goal will be to win our division of the league and achieve promotion in 2003". 

The Kings Cross Steelers will be traveling to the United States on June 26 to compete in San Francisco with other gay rugby teams in the Bingham Cup, dedicated in honor of Mark Bingham, the San Francisco Fog RFC player who was among passengers who fought with the hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. 

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Kings Cross Steelers RFC was founded in November 1995. In June 1999 it became the world's first rugby club for gay and bisexual men to gain full membership of a national governing body when it was accepted into the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Since July 2000 the club has played in the Eastern Counties League Division 3 South.

The club has three teams (1st, 2nd and Veterans) and around 65 registered players, as well as a thriving supporters section. Most players are gay or bisexual, although membership is open to anyone who supports the club's aims and objectives. The home ground is at Holland Road, West Ham, London E15, UK.

At present there are mainly gay/bisexual Rugby Union clubs in the UK (Kings Cross Steelers, Manchester Village Spartans); USA (Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington); New Zealand and Argentina.