Being part of a rugby team is like a ‘big extended family, it’s community’

The Bingham and Amanda Mark Cup has brought inclusive international rugby to Brisbane, with the city already filling up with hundreds of LGBTQ+ rugby players. For Aussies who found their sporting communities overseas, this tournament is a great chance to bring their chosen and down-under families together.

Held every two years, the Bingham Cup (for the men) and Amanda Mark Cup (for the women) bring together LGBTQ+ rugby clubs from around the world.

Justin returned to Australia with his team, the San Francisco Fog, the first gay and inclusive rugby club on the US West Coast. Unfortunately, he won’t be playing at the tournament due to an injury at the start of the year.

While he is in recovery and rehabilitation, he has been focusing on the administrative side of the tournament. This will come in handy, as he has been voted the President of SF Fog next season.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done, and the stars aligned,” Justin laughed, getting ready to board a flight to Brisbane.

“It’s the right time.” I’m the team manager, which is like the Kris Jenner of the team. I’ll be coordinating everything between the head coaches and the teams, and where everyone needs to be throughout the week.”

A tournament of this size is about so much more than just the players; every team has their coaches, medics, supporters and more.

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• Game on! Bingham Cup players start arriving Down Under

‘The team has been there for me through so much’

Justin had never played rugby before he moved to San Francisco almost a decade ago.

“I only started playing when I moved here,” he said. “Every time I would go to the Eagle, the guys kept encouraging me to play. Then when they had an introduction to rugby course, I thought I’d come and try, and here we are now.”

Justin’s parents and friends are coming to Brisbane to see him compete in the tournament, and he’s excited to introduce them to his teammates. When we asked Justin about what it means to be a part of the team, he said, “It’s a big extended family, it’s community.”

“It’s not just physical or mental and emotional. The team has been there for me through so much. And I’ve been spending a lot of time getting them excited for coming to Australia. I may have scared them a bit too much about the spiders and snakes, though.”

Matt joined the Montreal Armada at the start of last season and is a prop. Just like Justin, he made some friends who were a part of the team at a party, and they encouraged him to give it a try.

“When I was back in Melbourne, I wanted to join the local team but never took the plunge,” he said.

“This is the first time I’ve played a team sport ever, and once I started playing, I realised how much fun it is and how much support you get from your teammates. Now these teammates are some of my closest friends in Montreal.”

Bingham rounds out season for many overseas teams

Matt left Australia for “the sense of adventure”, they said. “I finished my studies, and I wanted to travel the world.”

Studying French at university led them to Paris, where they met their partner, and since the pair weren’t ready to settle down in Australia, they looked for adventure elsewhere and headed to Montreal.

“Honestly, Montreal is the coolest city. Everyone says that Montreal and Melbourne are very similar, and it’s so true. Everybody here is so open and queer-friendly. There’s a great coffee and food culture here, great food culture. I’m sure that I’ll end up back in Melbourne at some point, but for now I’m enjoying travelling the world and meeting people.

Matt is excited to play alongside their teammates in the tournament and share the joys of life Down Under.

“My teammates are going on a trip around the country, and I gave them all my recommendations,” he laughed. “It’s the end of our season in Montreal, so I’m excited to have my last proper big games to round it out.”

We wish all the teams playing in this year’s Bingham and Amanda Cup an amazing tournament.

You can check out our full Bingham Cup guide for everything you need to know about the tournament, side events and parties.

Bingham Cup and Amanda Mark Cup matches run from Thursday, August 20 through to the finals on Sunday, August 23, with all matches free for spectators.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, and community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.