Following a sensational long weekend of rugby in London in May 2004, IGRAB selected New York City’s Gotham Knights to host the third Bingham Cup on Memorial Day Weekend 2006. The host committee, headed by Brian Devinney, Gotham’s fundraising chair, plans an ambitious program of sporting and social events starting with coaching and player clinics on 24-25 May 2006 and rugby competition on 26-28 May.

“We’re anticipating an unprecedented number of clubs from all over the world,” Devinney said, noting that regional tournaments involving gay-friendly teams have grown all over the world, as teams gear up for the biennial Mark Kendall Bingham Cup competition.

“The Inter-Club Challenge in the UK, FogFest in San Francisco, Magnitude 15.0 in Seattle, New York’s East Coast Invitational, and now the Union Cup 7s tournament in Europe all demonstrate the appetite for rugby among gay people and their friends,” Devinney said. His host committee is planning to meet that appetite with clinics with guest coaches, a women’s division, and the elaborate parties that accompany the Bingham Cup. “New York considers itself the world’s second home, and we’re looking forward to hosting our IGRAB friends in May 2006,” added Gotham Knights president Adam Josephs.

Look for information about the Bingham Cup at www.binghamcup.com, soon to be updated with details about Bingham Cup 2006 in New York.

In the months after the Bingham Cup in London, IGRAB voted in several clubs as full members. IGRAB chair Dean Knight announced that the following clubs have already been admitted, and offered congratulations (some belated) to all these clubs:

• Brisbane Hustlers (Brisbane, Australia)
• Charlotte Royals (Charlotte NC, USA)
• Chicago Dragons (Chicago, IL, USA)
• Phoenix Storm (Phoenix, AZ, USA)
• Portland Avalanche (Portland, OR, USA)
• San Diego Armada (San Diego, CA, USA)

Knight added that other teams are up and running in many other cities, especially in Europe. Teams known to be practicing and playing include Bristol (UK) Bisons, Copenhagen (Denmark) Scrum, Malmö (Sweden) Devilants, Les Valents de Montpellier, France and teams in Grenoble, France, and Cardiff, Wales.