The Team - History
The Spartans team members have only one thing in common - a love of rugby.
The Spartans were formed in March 1999 to provide gay, heterosexual and bisexual men the opportunity to play rugby in the UK and internationally. Training took place that summer in preparation for our first match which was against the London gay rugby team, the Kings Cross Steelers. The match took place over the Mardi Gras August bank-holiday weekend and was the first ever rugby match between two gay teams.
In the following year we continued to organise matches against local teams and travelled to London to play the Steelers on their home ground where we triumphed against them in only our fourth ever match. We then spent the next few years steadily building our experience and increased the size of the club, playing a match every couple of months against local clubs. Later we became members of the Cheshire RFU and have participated in a local league for the past few years.
We are full members of the Cheshire RFU and the International Gay Rugby Association & Board (IGRAB).
Tours
Like any other Rugby Team, the Spartans do go on tour - to other clubs and to other countries.
The main tour in 2007 was to Cologne. There are some pictures on our On Tour page.
In 2006, the club travelled to New York for the Bingham Cup. The next Bingham Cup will be hosted by the Emerald Warriors in Dublin and takes place in June 2008. Therefore much of the season will be our chance to develop the strength and ability of the team leading to a successful showing in the tournament.
Village Spartans results in Bingham Cup
San Francisco 2002 - Semi-Finalists [Winners were San Francisco Fog]
London 2004 - Runners Up [Winners were San Francisco Fog]
New York 2006 - 8th Place [Winners were Sydney Convicts]
Dublin 2008 - [Winners were Sydney Convicts]
Links
www.cheshirerfu.co.uk Cheshire RFU
www.igrab.net International Gay Rugby Association & Board (IGRAB)
Back to Team Profiles page
