Bristol Bisons RFC
Encyclopedia
Bristol Bisons RFC is an English
rugby union
club and claims to be an inclusive gay
friendly team.
Bisons RFC (Bisons) were established in 2005.
They were estabilshed following a visit to the Bingham Cup gay
rugby
tournament in the summer of 2004 in London
.
The founders felt that it would be good to spread the messages of an inclusive gay
rugby team in the South west.
Training for the newly formed club started early in 2005.
One of the first matches was the Bisons versus a Barbarians side of players from Manchester
and Bristol
.
By 2009 the club had gone through a quiet spell so it was decided to relaunch the club with new kit and promotional material in December 2009.
As part of Bristol Pride 2010 the club promoted itself more visibly particulalry on the Bristol gay scene.
During season 2010/2011 the team grew in stength and numbers and now has around 30 regular and occasional players. In 2011, the team took part in Bristol Pride and Swindon Pride.
In July 2011, the team were chosen as hosts for the Union Cup
2013 Europe
an Gay
rugby
tournament.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club and claims to be an inclusive gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
friendly team.
Club History
The BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
Bisons RFC (Bisons) were established in 2005.
They were estabilshed following a visit to the Bingham Cup gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
tournament in the summer of 2004 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The founders felt that it would be good to spread the messages of an inclusive gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
rugby team in the South west.
Training for the newly formed club started early in 2005.
One of the first matches was the Bisons versus a Barbarians side of players from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
By 2009 the club had gone through a quiet spell so it was decided to relaunch the club with new kit and promotional material in December 2009.
As part of Bristol Pride 2010 the club promoted itself more visibly particulalry on the Bristol gay scene.
During season 2010/2011 the team grew in stength and numbers and now has around 30 regular and occasional players. In 2011, the team took part in Bristol Pride and Swindon Pride.
In July 2011, the team were chosen as hosts for the Union Cup
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.-Montpellier 2005:The first edition was held in May 2005 in Montpellier, France...
2013 Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
tournament.
Tournaments Hosted
- 2006 - Spring - Rugby Tournament, Bristol
- 2006 - Rugby 7's tournament at Bristol Gay Mardi GrasMardi GrasThe terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
- 2007 - Spring - Rugby Tournament, Bristol
[Union Cup]
- 2005 MontpellierMontpellier-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Finished 7th place - 2007 CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
The Bisons were part of a joint team with the Newcastle RavensNewcastle RavensNewcastle Ravens Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The team was organised to help encourage gay people to take part in the sport. Dave Burke, who is the current chairman, founded the team in 2006 and it is run by a board of four elected members...
and Cardiff LionsCardiff LionsThe Cardiff Lions RFC is a gay and gay friendly rugby union football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club was founded in 2004 and remains the only gay rugby club in Wales...
that reached the final and lost to the Dublin Emerald Warriors RFC. - 2009 LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK 1st in the 7's after a closely fought final against the Paris team - 2011 AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
2nd in the 10's tournament behind MontpellierMontpellier-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. - 2013 BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, UK Bristol Bisons RFC to Host 2013 Union CupUnion CupThe Union Cup is a biennial European, non-professional, gay rugby union tournament, bringing together teams and joint teams from all over Europe.-Montpellier 2005:The first edition was held in May 2005 in Montpellier, France...
in BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, UK.
[Bingham Cup]
- 2008 Dublin, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Some members of the team played with the Cardiff LionsCardiff LionsThe Cardiff Lions RFC is a gay and gay friendly rugby union football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club was founded in 2004 and remains the only gay rugby club in Wales...
at the Dublin Bingham Cup in 2008 - 2010 Minneapolis, USA Did not enter competition
- 2012 ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, UK Though the team has not entered a Bingham cup competition yet, they will compete at the next Bingham Cup 2012 in ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, hosted by the ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
Village Spartans RFC.
Season 2010 / 2011
- October - Rugby Clinic, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, UK 1st place in tournament hosted by Caledonian Thebans. - March - Hadrians Cup, NewcastleNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, UK 5th place in tournament hosted by Newcastle RavensNewcastle RavensNewcastle Ravens Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The team was organised to help encourage gay people to take part in the sport. Dave Burke, who is the current chairman, founded the team in 2006 and it is run by a board of four elected members...
.
Season 2011 / 2012
- October - Rugby Clinic, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, UK Winners of tournament. - Bristol Bisons RFCBristol Bisons RFCBristol Bisons RFC is an English rugby union club and claims to be an inclusive gay friendly team.- Club History :The Bristol Bisons RFC were established in 2005....
33 vs Newcastle RavensNewcastle RavensNewcastle Ravens Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The team was organised to help encourage gay people to take part in the sport. Dave Burke, who is the current chairman, founded the team in 2006 and it is run by a board of four elected members...
7 - Bristol Bisons RFCBristol Bisons RFCBristol Bisons RFC is an English rugby union club and claims to be an inclusive gay friendly team.- Club History :The Bristol Bisons RFC were established in 2005....
40 vs Amsterdam Lowlanders 5 - Final : Caledonian Thebans 7 vs Bristol Bisons RFCBristol Bisons RFCBristol Bisons RFC is an English rugby union club and claims to be an inclusive gay friendly team.- Club History :The Bristol Bisons RFC were established in 2005....
21
- April - Hadrians Cup, NewcastleNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, UK Future fixture
- June - Bingham Cup, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, UK Future fixture
Memberships & Affiliations
- Full member of the International Gay Rugby Association and BoardInternational Gay Rugby Association and BoardInternational Gay Rugby Association and Board is the umbrella organization for the world's gay rugby clubs. It is dedicated to encouraging lesbians and gay men everywhere to play rugby...
(IGRAB) - Affiliated members of the Gloucestershire Rugby Football UnionGloucestershire Rugby Football UnionThe Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for rugby union in the county of Gloucestershire, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union. Formed in 1878, it has won the county championship on numerous occasions.-History:The Union was...
(GRFU) - Affiliated members of the Rugby Football Union(RFU)