2018 Bingham Cup

The Mark Kendall Bingham Cup is the biennial world championship of gay and inclusive men’s and women’s rugby. This year, the 9th tournament will be held in Amsterdam with festivities beginning on June 2, with match play June 8-10.

The Bingham Cup is an international tournament named after Mark Bingham, who was a U.S. 9/11 hero aboard Flight 93 which saw civilians fight against terrorists and stopped them from reaching their target. He was a member of the San Francisco Fog, and the founder of the Gotham Knights.

In the previous eight tournaments, the San Francisco Fog and Gotham Knights have won the cup. The U.S. clubs make up a large contingent of the participating teams and perform well. This year there will be 23 teams from America represented, which is more than double that of any other country.

Andrew Purchas, Chairman of International Gay Rugby (IGR) noted that “In 2002 8 teams competed in San Francisco for the inaugural Bingham Cup. The tournament has now grown to be one of the largest 15 a side rugby tournament in the world. The USA has been an enormous contributor to the growth and success of gay rugby around the world, hosting the Bingham Cup 4 times and being home to more than 28 gay and inclusive rugby clubs, more than any other country…In many ways, the USA has led the rest of the world in showing the strength of gay and inclusive rugby.”

With Amsterdam hosting the tournament, it is the first time that the tournament has been held in continental Europe. Previously it has been held in England, Ireland, Australia and in the United States. America has hosted it four times San Francisco 2002, New York 2006, Minneapolis 2010 and most recently Nashville in 2016.